Secrets I: Secrets and Scares
by xX-Star Sapphire-Xx
Summary: Rewriting this story. Go check it out. It's called Secrets In Her Smile
1. Chapter 1: Kana's Daily Routine

A young girl with long blond hair and beautiful dark blue eyes walked down the street. She wore a white buttoned up shirt with a tiny red bow, and a short grey skirt. She also held a small brown bag with both hands in front of her which made it obvious that she was on her way to school. But for a girl who was going to school, she seemed really happy. She had a smile on her face and was humming along to a happy tune.

"Hey, Kana!" a familiar voice called out from behind her. She immediately stopped humming and turned around to see a tall boy with bright orange hair with brown eyes walking up to her.

"Hi, Ichigo!" she greeted in a happy tone. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm all right, I guess," he replied coolly. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. Just excited about summer vacation coming up," Kana answered with a small smile.

Ichigo was Kana's best friend. Sure, she had other best friends, but Kana felt more closer to Ichigo than any of her other friends. Especially when she first moved to Karakura one year before. On her first day of school, this boy named Keigo kept flirting with her and wouldn't leave her alone. That was until Ichigo punched him and told him to knock it off. It was a strange way to meet someone, but Kana and Ichigo clicked then and have been friends ever since.

"Well we better get to school before we're late," Ichigo had told her and started to walk once again. Kana just smiled and walked next to Ichigo.

About five minutes later, they arrived in the classroom. Everyone else was already in the room so Kana and Ichigo were the last to arrive. As soon as they entered the room though, a particular boy named Keigo rushed over to Kana's side.

"Hello, Kana," he greeted in his weird ways.

"No," was all Kana said before going to her desk behind Rukia's and sat down.

"But I didn't even ask anything yet!" Keigo whined as he started to make his way over. That was before Ichigo punched him in the head.

"How many times must she tell you before you get the hint?" Ichigo asked obviously irritated. "She doesn't like you."

It may have been kind of harsh for Ichigo to do that but Keigo has tried to ask out Kana every day since the first day she started middle school. She definitely was not as 'matured' physically as Orihime, but boys did say she had a pretty face.

"Sure she does! Kana is just hiding her emotions!" Keigo replied. Apparently, he was still not getting the point.

As those two were going at it, Kana decided to talk to Rukia who was already in her seat.

"Hello, Rukia," Kana greeted with the same smile as she had all morning. "Are you excited for summer vacation to come?"

"I sure am," Rukia replied happily. There was something in her voice that was made it seem like she was not happy at all, but Kana thought nothing of it and continued with the conversation.

"Do you have anything planned for the summer? I don't think I have anything to do except the fireworks festival."

"Orihime was talking to me about that this morning. She had invited me to go," Rukia told her friend.

"Really? You should come. It will be a lot of fun. The fireworks are so beautiful. I had the best time when Ichigo and his family took me to see them last year."

"Hm. I'll think about it."

Just then, the teacher came into the room and started the class.

.:-:.

_Finally lunchtime, I'm starving,_ Kana thought as she sighed. She was glad she didn't have to listen to her teacher talk anymore for the next forty-five minutes. There was definitely a downside to lunch though...

"KANA! Do you want to have lunch with us today?!" Keigo asked as he danced his way over to Kana.

She gently placed her bento on her desk and looked at Keigo, giving him a sweet smile.

"I don't think so today, Keigo. Maybe some other time," she answered nicely with a sweet tone. No matter how annoying Keigo was being, Kana could never get mad at him.

"Aw! But why not? You always say that," he began to whine.

"She says that because she doesn't want to eat with you," a boy said from behind Kana. She turned around to see the same orange haired boy that she has been friends with. "She's just too nice to say it like that."

"That's not true, Ichigo!" Keigo yelled. "She doesn't mean that! Do you, Kana?"

Keigo and Ichigo looked at where Kana was and found that she was not there anymore.

"See? I told you she didn't want to eat lunch with you," Ichigo said with a smirk.

.:-:.

"Yay! You made it, Kana!" Orihime exclaimed happily as the small blonde girl approached her and the other girls. "I was getting worried you weren't going to show up."

"Sorry, Orihime," Kana told her with a small smile. "I kind of got held up in the classroom." She then sat down next to Rukia and started to eat her lunch. "So what have I missed?"

"Nothing. We were just talking about Ichigo," Mahana answered.

"Ichigo? Why were you talking about him?"

"Well we were curious if Rukia has a crush on him."

"Rukia have a crush on Ichigo? That's highly unlikely. They're just friends," Kana told her. She then looked at Rukia and asked, "Am I right?"

Rukia just smiled and nodded while the other girls sighed in disappointment.

Kana gave the girls a questioning look and asked, "Why are you so suddenly interested in who likes Ichigo?"

"I don't know," Mahana answered truthfully after taking a moment to think about it. "I guess it just would have been interesting for someone to like him. You know, with his scary looking face and all."

"I don't think his face is scary looking."

"Well of course you don't, Kana. You're his best friend. He's not all scary when he's with you," Michiro told her.

"Now that you mention it, he does seem more happy when he's with you, Kana," Tatsuki agreed, surprisingly.

"Hm... I haven't noticed it," Kana replied, looking up at sky, or at least trying to since the group of girls were sitting under a tree. "Maybe it's because he's more comfortable with me. I don't think so though since we've only been friends for a year."

Just then, the bell rang for class. The girls quickly picked up their things and rushed back into the school building so that they would not be late.

This is the start of my new Ichigo story. Review and tell me what you think of it! I've gotten good reviews on Quizilla and I want to know how people think of it on here. :D


	2. Chapter 2: And Away She Goes

Later that night, Kana laid wide awake on her bed, staring at the ceiling. For some reason, she just couldn't get to sleep, no matter what she did. Kana just had this strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was going to go wrong.

"I bet it was that food Orihime made me eat at dinner tonight," Kana whined slightly, holding her stomach with both hands. "That's the last time I go to her house for dinner."

Slowly, she sat up on her bed, her legs hanging from the side, and stood up. She then changed out of her pajamas and into sweatpants with a matching sweat jacket with a white camisole underneath that.

"Maybe a walk will make me feel better," she told herself and began to get her white tennis shoes on and walked out the door.

After walking a couple blocks, the feeling in Kana's stomach still didn't go away. She placed her hands on her stomach once again and thought of the different possibilities since Orihime's cooking was definitely not the case.

"I don't think I'm getting sick but what else could it be?" Kana told herself but as soon as she said that, a pressure flew passed her body like a wall of bricks making her stop in place. And no, it definitely wasn't wind. "What was that? Could it be? N-No it couldn't," she stuttered out. "T-That spiritual pressure…"

Right after she felt that, Kana ran. She ran in the direction the pressure was coming from. She wasn't quite sure why but she was beginning to think that the feeling in her stomach was not food poisoning.

As soon as Kana turned the corner, her eyes immediately fell to a certain orange-haired boy lying on the ground, soaking in his own blood.

"Ichigo!" Kana cried out and ran to Ichigo's side, not even noticing the other three people around her. She knelt down and started to lightly shake him. "Ichigo, are you all right? Please talk to me!"

Ichigo weakly looked at her and said in a painful, yet stubborn, whisper, "Get out of here now, Kana."

He didn't even realize that Kana was able to see him in his Soul Reaper form but at the moment, he was in too much pain and had too much on his mind to even think about it.

"But you're hurt--"

"Kana Mitsuya," a deep, calm voice rang through the air, interrupting Kana's sentence. "It's been a while."

Kana slowly turned her head to whoever spoke and saw a tall man with long black hair with things in it to separate different pieces of his hair. He also wore the same thing Ichigo was but with a white vest over it with a zanpakuto hanging on his left side. Her eyes widened at the familiar face and her jaw dropped open, not believing he was standing right there.

That was also when Kana noticed Rukia was there too, along with a tall red-head with his hair in a ponytail and the same black outfit but with a band on his left arm. Apparently Kana wasn't the only one shocked since Rukia's and the red-head's eyes also were also wide.

"No, it can't be," Kana whispered soft enough that only Ichigo was the one able to hear it. "Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai."

_How is she able to see us? And how come I can sense her spiritual pressure all of a sudden?_ Rukia had thought as she continued to stare at her blonde-haired friend.

"This isn't Kana. Is she, Captain?" the red-head, or Renji, asked, pointing his finger at Kana.

Kana continued to stare at the two with fear obviously showing in her eyes.

"She is, Renji. Let's take her back," the black-haired man, or Byakuya, said calmly.

Her eyes widened even more after hearing those last four words. Kana started to tremble in her spot and was too scared to run away.

"Get away from her! She has nothing to do with this!" Ichigo yelled angrily as loud as he can which wasn't very loud considering his condition.

But even with Ichigo's yells, Renji still walked forward and grabbed a hold of Kana's forearm. Her body finally started to work again and she tried to get out of his grasp.

"No! Let me go!" she cried out, fear dripping out of every word. "Don't make me go back, please!"

Again, Renji had ignored the cries and started to drag her across the concrete. "Come on, Kana. We don't have time for this," he yelled, angry that she wouldn't walk.

"You can't make me go back, Renji!" Kana continued to cry out. Tears were now starting to cloud up Kana's vision and some rolled down her cheek. "Please, Renji! Don't make me go back!"

Renji sighed in irritation and finally just threw her over his shoulder. It didn't make matters better since Kana just kicked her feet and hit his back with her hands. He pulled out his zanpakuto out and opened the door to the Soul Society.

Ichigo just helplessly watched Kana go through the door. He had never seen her like that in the year he had been friends with her. It made him feel terrible that he wasn't able to help her.

The door to the Soul Society began to close, only leaving a picture of Kana crying stuck in Ichigo's mind as the door shut completely and disappear. Then blackness took over his vision and he fell into unconsciousness.

Yay for chapter 2! I swear that this story gets a whole lot better! Review please!


	3. Chapter 3: Ichigo's Confusion

The next day, Ichigo was slowly gaining consciousness. For some reason, he didn't feel any pain and he didn't feel so cold like he did the night before after the fight. Ichigo still felt horrible that he couldn't save Rukia or Kana and after remembering Kana's tears, he felt even more horrible than before.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw a dark skinned man with boxed glasses, long braided black hair, and a big black mustache.

"AH!" Ichigo yelled as he was now fully awake.

"Oh, what a good reaction," the strange man said, getting closer to Ichigo's face. "Quite excellent."

Ichigo then pushed the man's face away and said, "What the hell are you doin?!"

"Boss, you wanted me to let you know the moment Ichigo woke up!" the man yelled towards the door of the room they were both in. "Well, he's awake!"

"Wait a minute," Ichigo said, realizing something. "You work for Mr. Hat-N-Clogs, don't you?" he asked, still trying to keep the man's face away from his own. "Why are you under the covers with me? Get off!" Ichigo then used his legs to throw the man off his body and sat up. A pain shot through his body then and he winced at it. That was when he realized that he wasn't dead like he thought he was just moments ago.

"Ichigo, you need to just relax," another voice was heard and a man with blonde hair with a green and white striped hat walked into the room. "We were barely able to patch you up. If you move around too much, you'll die."

"Is that right?" Ichigo asked like he didn't really care. "So, Mr. Hat-N-Clogs, I take it this is your house."

"Uh-huh."

"Are you the one who saved me? Huh?"

"Hm, it seems to me, by the underline tone of your voice, maybe you didn't want me to rescue you."

Ichigo let the thought roam his mind as he remembered every single thing that happened the night before.

"Oh and before you worry too much, Uryu is fine. I treated his wounds and he went back home. He was quite worried about you. He said that if anyone could beat those guys, it would be you," Mr. Hat-N-Clogs, or Urahara, added.

"Only me? What the hell can I do?" Ichigo asked to particularly no one. Then seriousness and worry entered his tone as he continued, "Don't you see? Rukia has gone back to the Soul Society. She can be executed at any minute! And Kana…"

"Kana also went back to the Soul Society also, I'm assuming," Urahara finished Ichigo's sentence. "I'm surprised they actually found her."

Ichigo gave Urahara a questioning look before asking, "What the hell are you talking about? And how do you know her."

Urahara waved his hand back and forth while he said, "Ah-ah, Ichigo. I cannot reveal that."

"And why not?" Ichigo asked, growing impatient every second. He had no time for this. He had to get to the Soul Society and save Kana and Rukia.

"I just don't feel like it," he answered with a smile. "But I can give you two hints of her history. One, she is only half Soul Reaper and two, she is of no part of the soul society since she is still alive. I will tell you the rest of Kana's history after you train with me for ten days. That should be enough time to give you to get strong enough to enter the Soul Society. Then seven days for me to open the gate to the Soul Society. Then we'll have thirteen days to get there and save Rukia and your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Ichigo," Urahara said in a tone that he obviously didn't believe the teenager.

After that, silence had filled the room, making Ichigo replay the events of the night before in his head, especially when Kana had tears streaming down her face.

_She looked so scared, but why? And... will she be executed with Rukia?_

"If you're thinking if Kana has an execution, then you are wrong," Urahara read Ichigo's mind. "She will be fine in the Soul Society."

"And what makes you say that, Mr. Hat-N-Clogs?" Ichigo asked, seriousness obviously showing in his tone. "You didn't see her last night. Kana was so scared that she was crying. Why would she be so afraid to go back to the Soul Society if she was going to be fine there?"

"First of all, Ichigo, in order to be executed, she must be either in the ranks and has done something bad or she was just a bad person to begin with. She's neither one seeing as she's only half Soul Reaper and she's too nice to do any bad," Urahara told him, holding one finger up. Then he held two up as he continued, "And secondly, she has family member who is indeed a ranking Soul Reaper."

.:-:.

"Renji, please! I'm begging you! Take me back to the World of the Living!" Kana continued to cry out. She was still slung over Renji's shoulder and she was still kicking her legs and punching him in the back.

"Will you stop it already? I'm not going to take you back," Renji told her angrily.

"If you're the Renji I know, you would let me go."

"If you're the Kana I know, you wouldn't be acting like a little baby," Renji mocked in the same tone as Kana.

Kana let out a heavy high and finally stopped fighting with Renji. She had been trying to get Renji to let her go for hours and now she was way too tired to do anything.

"About time you got tired," the red-head mumbled and started to walk in a faster pace. He couldn't walk faster before because of Kana having her tantrum.

_I can't believe they found me. I mean, I've been so careful about what I do on a daily basis. But then again, I think they found me by luck since Renji looked surprise when he saw me, _Kana thought as she remembered the night before. Then her mind wandered to Ichigo. _I hope he's not dead. I really, really hope not. But there was so much blood. Was he able to make it?_

"Now we're--"

"Whatever, Renji. I don't care anymore," Kana said sadly. She was beginning to think that maybe Ichigo didn't make it. "Take me to him."

"Okay," Renji said, giving her a strange look because of Kana's change in attitude. "We're here."

Kana looked and saw that they were front of a familiar door. He carefully put Kana down on the ground and he gently knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a tall man with shaggy brown hair and glasses.

"Captain Aizen, I have found Kana Mitsuya and brought her back," Renji said and bowed respectfully.

Kana fakely smiled at the man and hoped that he didn't see through it. "Hello, Uncle."


	4. Chapter 4: Questions To Be Answered

Pain.

Sleepless nights.

Worry.

These were what Ichigo was going through during the ten days of his training. Though he had finished becoming a Soul Reaper in five days, Urahara still wouldn't answer any of his questions until the full ten days were done. During the rest of the five days of his training, Ichigo and Urahara have been sparring day and night.

"Come on, Ichigo. You still have three hours," Urahara taunted, tapping his zanpakuto on his shoulder.

Sure, he was tired from fighting but it didn't seem to phase him like it did to Ichigo. Ichigo was using his zanpakuto to help him stand up as he took deep breaths in and out.

"Don't you want to know about your girlfriend?" Urahara continued to taunt.

Ichigo would retort back on the 'girlfriend' part but he was too tired to come up with any. He straightened his posture and gave the blonde man a glare. Then, he lifted his zanpakuto and pointed it at Urahara.

"Let's finish this."

.:-:.

Kana silently sat on the window sill in her room, staring up at the sky, like she had been doing for the past ten days. All she could think about was Ichigo.

Was he okay?

Was he still alive? Did someone save him?

If he's alive, where was he now?

Those were few of the many questions that were filling her mind and she wanted to know the answers.

During those days Kana's been back, many of her friends from the Soul Society had been trying to visit her but she would allow them to come near her and made up excuses saying that she was sick. Of course, Kana was lying and all of her friends knew that but they just respected her privacy and let her be. Well, all except one...

"Come on, Kana!" the rough voice of Renji's filled Kana's ears. "You've locked yourself in this room for over a week. It's time for you to get some fresh air."

"I still feel under the weather, Renji. I think I should rest a little more," she lied. As she spoke, Kana never once looked at Renji's face. She just continued to stare at the blue sky.

"Liar. You're fine," Renji told her. "You're just worried for that dumb Ichigo-kid. He's dead by now."

Kana's body tensed up when she heard his last statement. Though she knew that it was probably true, she just couldn't seem to accept that fact.

"Now, come on. You're coming with me," Renji said while walking over to her and throwing her over his shoulder like he previously had done just ten days before.

"Where are you taking me, Renji?!" Kana yelled and started to punch his back.

"You are going to hang out with me, Izuru and Momo today along with some others who would like to see you," he answered with a look of achievement on his face.

"I don't want to. Put me down now!" Kana continued to yell. "My uncle will not accept having his only niece being captured by a lieutenant."

"Captain Aizen was the one who asked me to capture you," Renji said in a proud tone.

Kana just crossed her arms and pouted. "Grr, Uncle."

.:-:.

"Now, are you going to tell me? I've finished my ten days of training and I even rested up," Ichigo yelled impatiently at Urahara. "So you better tell me now!"

Urahara, who was sitting cross-legged on a small pillow, sighed in annoyance. "Okay okay," he replied while closing his fan. "I guess you've waited long enough. What do you want to know first?"

"Why did that Renji-guy take Kana to the Soul Society?" Ichigo had asked with no hesitation. Through the days of his training, questions had been running through his mind and thinking of different possible answers to those questions. "You had said before that she was only half Soul Reaper so there couldn't be any way for her to be in the ranks. In other words, there's really no reason to take her away, right?"

"Wrong, Ichigo," Urahara said with no emotion. "Yes, Kana is only half Soul Reaper but there is a reason for her to be taken to the Soul Society," he continued, confusing the fifteen-year-old in front of him. "If you had listened before, I said that she has family in the higher ranks of the Soul Society."

"Yeah, I get that," Ichigo grumbled. "But there's no reason for her to leave if her parents are here."

Urahara gave Ichigo a strange look after his comment. Ichigo noticed this immediately and quickly got annoyed.

"Why the hell are you looking at me like that?!"

"Have you ever met Kana's parents, Ichigo?" Urahara asked, ignoring the carrot-top's question.

Ichigo's expression changed front annoyed to confused. "No, I haven't. Why?"

"Because... Her parents died about seven years ago."

"What? No way," Ichigo gasped out, not expecting what he was hearing. "How is that possible? Kana talks about them all the time as if they were alive."

.: **Flashback** :.

_"Ichigo! Hold up!" Kana had yelled out to her orange-haired friend on her way to school._

_Ichigo stopped and waited for her. "Hey, Kana. What's up?"_

_"Nothing. I just wanted to give you something," she smiled and opened her lunch box. She then pulled out a small round container and handed it over to Ichigo. "Here."_

_"What is it?" he asked, studying it slightly._

_"It has brownies in it," Kana told him. "My mom freshly baked them this morning. It's her own special recipe."_

_"Oh, thanks."_

.: Flashback Ended :.

"Why would she pretend that her parents are still alive?" Ichigo asked, more to himself than anyone.

"It was because Kana felt that if she pretended that they were alive, then she wouldn't feel the pain of them being gone," Urahara answered. "Kana was very close with her parents although she didn't see much of her mother because of her being a Soul Reaper."

Silence had then taken over the room the two were in. Ichigo just couldn't believe what he was hearing. A small innocent girl, that he befriended, had so much hiding in her shadow.

"How do you know so much about Kana? How do you know her?" Ichigo asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Kana came to me after she left the Soul Society. She had heard that I was a good friend of her mother's and asked if she could stay here," the blonde answered simply. Then with a large smile, he said, "She made the most delicious brownies. They were like heaven!"

"Oh," Ichigo said, ignoring the blonde's last comment, before he realized something. Then he screamed out, "Wait! You mean to tell me that Rukia's been here how many times and she hasn't even noticed that Kana was living here?!"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," Urahara said with a hint of laughter in his tone. "After she told me she ran away from the Soul Society, I taught her how to hide her spiritual pressure so that no one could sense her."

Silence once again filled the air. Ichigo had many questions, he just didn't know which question to ask next. After a moment, one question popped out of the rest and he just had to ask it.

"Why was Kana so scared when Renji took her away?" Ichigo finally asked. Then the image of Kana's tears appeared in his mind for the millionth time that day.

A cocky smile appeared on Urahara's face as he said, "I was wondering when you were going to ask that."

* * *

I should have probably said this before in chapter 1 but there's a spoiler warning because half of the plot is dealing with the Soul Society arc. Sorry if I ruined anything for you. I haven't revealed much about it to begin with but still, sorry!


	5. Chapter 5: Let the Troubles Begin!

Urahara stared at Ichigo with that oh so familiar grin of his. Ichigo was quickly growing impatient and angry because of it.

"So, are you gonna answer me?" the orange-headed teen finally asked, breaking the silence once again.

"Nah," Urahara answered in a playful tone as he began to fan himself.

"What?!" Ichigo's blood was now way passed just boiling, if that was even possible. He gripped the collar of Urahara's clothes and held him up in the air. "Answer me, damn it!"

"Ah-ah-ah," the blonde said, waving his folded up fan back and forth at each syllable. "That is not a very nice way to treat someone who can answer questions about your girlfriend."

"She's not my--!"

"Ah-ah-ah," Urahara said again, making Ichigo let go of his clothes and he gracefully landed on his feet.

"Can you just tell me why she was so scared?" Ichigo said annoyed.

"Sorry, Ichigo. I can't do that."

"And why not, Mr. Hat-N-Clogs?"

"Because... That is one of the few questions that I don't know the answer to."

"What?!"

.:-:.

"That was a waste of time," Renji said as he escorted Kana back to her room.

"I didn't think so. I had a fun time," Kana smiled and looked up at the stars in the night sky. "Thanks for dragging me along, Renji."

"Whatever," he mumbled as he continued to walk, not caring if she heard or not.

The whole time they were hanging out with Momo, Izuru and the others, Kana just acted like she was having a fun time. It was quite obvious to him and the others that she was acting, but they didn't say anything about it. Kana seemed to always have a cheerful personality and when her friends the sadness that lingered in her eyes, they decided not to bother her about it and play along with her act.

"Maybe next time, you won't have to throw me over your shoulder," Kana continued and laughed softly.

A frown appeared on Renji's face when he heard her laugh. It was yet another act.

_For the seven years I've known her, she's never laughed like that. She must_ still _be really upset about that kid,_ he thought.

Renji was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't even notice he was already at Squad Five's sleeping quarters. Even though Kana wasn't in the ranks, she was still allowed to have her own room with the rest of the Soul Reapers since Captain Aizen was her uncle and her guardian.

"Thanks for walking me home, Renji!" Kana thanked with her fake happiness. "I'll see you tomorrow."

The girl gave the red-head a small smile before entering her room and shutting the door behind her. Renji then started to walk away with an aggravating sigh.

"I swear that girl is more crazy than I remember."

.: **Fast Forward - 1 Week** :.

_Boom!_

"Ooh!"

_Boom!_

"Awh!"

"Man. You'd swear that none of these people have seen fireworks before," Karin commented at how everyone at the park were so amazed by the fireworks.

Ichigo, his family, and all his friends were all at the fireworks festival, obviously watching the fireworks. As everyone talked about how much better the fireworks were this year, Ichigo just stood there, dazed, with his hands in his pockets. He couldn't help but remember how much fun it was last year when Kana was there.

"Hey! Remember last year when Kana didn't know that the fireworks were gonna start and when one went off, she screamed so loud!" Keigo said, starting to crack up laughing, along with everyone else. "She almost fell on her butt!"

Ichigo silently laughed at that memory. It was the first time Kana has seen fireworks in a while, well, so she said and she wasn't expecting them to be as loud as they were.

**A/N:**If you don't understand how Keigo and the others remember Kana even though she was taken to the Soul Society, then it's because she is still a living human being. Rukia was just a Soul Reaper so when she went back to the Soul Society, everyone's memories of her were gone, except for a selected few. At least, that's how I see it.

"Speaking of Kana, where is she?" Yuzu asked, looking around at the people in the group.

"She's on vacation. She left right after school a couple weeks ago," Ichigo lied. Everyone believed him except for Orihime, Chad, and Uryu but that was only because they knew what happened.

"Oh, then how come she didn't say good-bye!" Keigo started to cry.

"Man. Does that boy have some problems," Tatsuki commented Keigo's actions and Orihime nodded in agreement.

.:-:.

"Kana?" a soft voice spoke and a light tap rang through the young blonde's tired ears. "Kana? Your uncle would like to speak with you."

Kana picked up the pillow her head was laying on and placed it over her head. "Just five more minutes, Momo."

She heard her door slide open and light footsteps approaching her bed. Kana could tell that Momo had knelt down next to her.

"I'm sorry, Kana, but I was ordered to escort you to his office. He said that he wanted to speak to you about some things," Momo told her.

Kana sat up in her bed and let out a long sigh. "Okay. I just wish he didn't have to talk to me in the crack of dawn."

"Um, Kana, it's about eleven thirty," the small lieutenant corrected.

"Really? Wow it's late. Just give me a couple minutes and we can go," Kana said and stood up in her bed. Momo just nodded and walked out of the room.

A couple minutes later, Kana walked out of her room all freshened up. She stopped right outside her door and took in a deep breath, showing off the beautiful smile she had.

"You seem much happier today, Kana," Momo smiled, happy to see her friend smile a true smile.

"I feel much happier, Momo. I don't know why, but I feel like something great is going to happen today," Kana told her friend. "Let's go see my uncle, shall we?"

Momo nodded her head again and the two started to walk towards the Squad Five offices. They were then suddenly stopped by a loud siren. The two girls covered their ears since they ended up being right by a siren.

"What's going on?" Kana yelled out to Momo.

"That siren means that the Soul Society's in danger!" Momo answered.

"_Attention all Squad captains! Report to Squad One immediately. I repeat. All Squad captains report to Squad One immediately._"

The sirens then stop so Kana and Momo remove their hands from their ears.

"That doesn't sound good," Momo said in a worried tone.

"_All Squad lieutenants, please report to Squad Two immediately for further instructions. I repeat. All Squad lieutenants, please report to Squad Two for further instructions._"

"'Further instructions'? For what?" Kana questioned the voice even though she knew whoever spoke couldn't hear her. "What's going on here?"

"I don't know, but I have to go. I'll see you later, Kana," Momo said and then flash-stepped her way to her destination.

Kana looked around the Soul Society to see if she could see something but all she saw was a lot of lower-ranked Soul Reapers rushing around. Then she spotted one Soul Reaper running towards her direction.

"Um, excuse me!" Kana called out to the man and he quickly stopped in front of her. "Can you tell me what's going on? Why is everyone in such a rush?"

"Haven't you heard? Someone tried to get into the Seireitei this morning," the Soul Reaper answered like she was stupid.

"What?!"


	6. Chapter 6: And Here Comes Gin

"Ichigo, are you an idiot?!" Uryu yelled at his orange-haired friend. "By attacking like that you can get us all killed!"

"I just wanted answers," Ichigo yelled back.

"But you don't pick a fight with a squad captain and ask question revealing our motives this early in the game! Especially by yourself!" the black cat, Yoruichi, joined the argument.

The gang, including Ichigo, Uryu, Orihime, Chad, and Yoruichi, were standing in front of the gate to get into the Seireitei. Orihime was healing Jidanbo, one of the gate keepers, with her newly acquired powers. Jidanbo got hurt by a captain named Gin Ichimaru. Ichigo, being the impatient, tough person he was, wanted to fight him to get some answers. What was his question?

_Where is Kana?_

"How can you be so stupid?!" Uryu continued to shout at Ichigo.

"Stop fighting. This will not solve anything. We have to find another way in, like I had suspected we had to do in the first place," Yoruichi told the two boys even though he was just yelling himself.

_If he had suspected this then why did we try to get in this way?_ Ichigo thought, obviously annoyed at the cat.

"Let's just hope by the time we get in there Kana wouldn't be in hiding," he continued, looking at Ichigo who now had guilt rising in him.

.: - :.

"Who tried to get in?" Kana asked the soul reaper desperately.

"No one knows yet. Only that it's Ryoka," the soul reaper answered.

"Okay, thank you," she said, with the lump in her throat, and ran off.

She had a gut feeling that Ichigo was the one trying to get in but she knew it couldn't be possible. Ichigo was dead. Nothing could be changed. But that doesn't explain the feeling of hope that immediately entered her body when she first heard about the intruders.

"Could Ichigo still be alive?"

.:-:.

Two days later, Kana was searching around the Seireitei asking around to see if anybody had seen the Ryoka. To everyone she asked, they all said they never saw them. This routine went on for two days.

"Man, I'm never going to know if Ichigo's alive or not," she said sadly as she leaving against a nearby wall.

"Aww. Don't give up just yet," a voice said from beside her, scarying her out of her wits. The voice didn't scare her from just surprise, the tone of it was what scared her the most.

Kana looked to her side and saw a familiar captain who was much taller than she was, had straight white hair, and the creepiest smile anyone would ever see. Her eyes almost bulged out of her head when the name of the person raced through her mind.

"C-Captain I-Ichimaru," Kana managed to stutter out. "What are y-you doing here?"

"There were rumors that the beautiful niece of the Fifth Squad Captain has returned. I am only here to see if that's true," he said with the same smile still plastered on his face.

"Well it's true," she told him, trying to show some confidence in her voice, but it didn't work too well since her voice squeaked.

"Don't' tell me you're scared of me, Kana," Gin said as he stepped closer to her. Kana tried to step back but her legs were frozen stiff. He stopped walking when he was standing right in front of her and lowered his head so that it was next to her ear. "There's no reason for you to be scared... Is there?"

Kana quickly shook her head "no" without blinking.

"I didn't think so." Gin's smile was different now. It seemed more... sinister.

"Kana! Kana!" the two heard a girl call out her name.

"Momo, I'm over here," Kana called back almost like she was in a trance.

Kana heard her friend rush over to her side. "Kana, I've been looking everywhere for you. You-- What are you staring at?" Momo interrupted herself to ask the question. She tried to figure out what Kana was staring at but didn't see anything of interest.

Kana realized then that Gin had disappeared from in front of her and quickly got out of her trance.

"Nothing, Momo. It was nothing," she told her friend. "So why were you looking for me?"

"Oh right. Captain Aizen wants to talk to you."

.: - :.

Kana stopped in front of her uncle's office door and took a deep breath. This was what she wanted to avoid. A meeting with her uncle. During their last meeting, it was interrupted by the Ryoka. Kana just wished that it would happen again.

The reason why she didn't want to see him was becasue she didn't want to get in trouble for running away like she did. Her uncle was a very nice man, but has yet to see him angry. She'd rather that she was not the first victim to see it.

Suddenly, the door in front of her opened and revealed her shinigami uncle.

"Hello there, Kana," he greeted with a kind smile. "Why don't you come inside."

Kana nodded and walked inside. The captain quietly shut the door and looked kindly at his niece.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm good. Just a little tired. I've been having trouble sleeping," Kana answered truthfully.

A small chuckle came from Aizen's lips, leaving the fifteen-year-old confused.

"My sister was the same way," he said.

"You mean my mom?" Kana question with interest. He never talked about her mother so it was a shock that he said something now.

Aizen just nodded as he continued to speak. "After you were born and Saya had to leave to the Soul Society, she would be just a nervous wreck worrying about you and your father. If she were alive now, she would still be a nervous wreck."

"Why's that?" she asked. Kana never really knew her mother because she was Soul Reaper and was rarely ever home.

"Because how you've grown up so much," Aizen answered, giving her a fatherly smile.

Kana smiled also and gave him a hug. He had always been like a second father to her. Especially after her parents' death. Something seemed strange about him. It seemed like he was hiding something but Kana couldn't figure it out. Even after living with him for seven years. What really seemed to confuse her was why Aizen was talking about her mother and father.

"Uncle, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" he asked not understanding.

"Every time something big is going to happen, you start talking about my mom."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do. For my tenth surprise birthday party, you starting telling me how mom had always planned my birthdays months a head of time," Kana corrected him. "And the time my fish died--."

"I get it, Kana."

"Sorry," she apologized quickly. "But what's going on?"

"Aizen took a deep breath and said, "Well some Ryoka tried to enter the Seireitei."

"Is that it? Because I already knew that."

"No, that's not all," he said. "I heard from Captain Ichimaru that they are trying to kidnap someone."

Kana's eyes were wide with worry. "Oh, my God. Are you serious?" A part of her was scared because it was a scary thing in general. But another part of her was sad. Why? Because she knew that if it was Ichigo who tried to get it, he wouldn't want to kidnap someone so this made it certain that he was, in fact, dead.

"The information hadn't been check out, but Gin was there when the Ryoka tried to get in," he told her.

"Wow. I wonder who they want to kidnap..." Kana thought aloud as she sad down. "Do you know, Uncle?"

"Yes, I do. It's **you**."


	7. Chapter 7: Kana's Bodyguards

"M-Me?" Kana stuttered out. "Why would they want me?"

"You're the niece of a captain. They may want something and they know the only way to do that is through you," her uncle explained. "That's all we can come up with at the moment. There could be other reasons."

Kana hung her head slightly. She was so confused and scared. Why would anyone try to kidnap her? Sure, she had an uncle in high ranks of the Soul Society but that was it. She wasn't strong. She wasn't powerful. Those reasons are probably why she was targeted. Because she was weak and vulnerable.

She felt her uncle place a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Kana," he said in a comforting manner. "You'll always will be with someone."

She nodded her ehad, feeling a little better.

"And I think you'll like who you'd be with first," Aizen smiled.

Kana looked at him quizzically and said, "Who?"

Suddenly, a knock came from the door. Aizen walked over and slid it opened. A man with no hair and dark-colored eyes stood in the doorway with hands on his hips.

"Ikkaku!" she exclaimed happily. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm your body guard," he answered with his head held up high.

"Really?!"

"Don't forget about me," another male voice cried and a man stuck his head into her view. He had chin four two different colored feathers hung off his eyelashes.

"Yumichika!" Kana looked at her uncle with a smile and asked, "How did you get Captain Kenpachi to let them guard me?"

"Easy. I saw these two skipping out on heir jobs," he answered his niece.

"In other words... Blackmail," Yumichika sighed heavily.

.: - :.

"Are you sure this will work?" Uryu asked the new added member to their team Ganju.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Ganju yelled. He'd only known everyone for a couple of days and they were all driving him nuts, especially Ichigo. "Just keep your concentration on your spiritual energy and we should be fine in the cannonball."

Ichigo and the rest of the gang are at the home of Kukaku Shiba, the Fireworks Expert, and she was going to help them get into the Seireitei by shooting a spiritual cannonball through the barrier surrounding the Seireitei. Ganju was her brother and was going to help them on their journey to rescue their friends.

"When are we leaving?!" Ichigo asked impatiently. He was sick of waiting to save his friends. Who knew what was happening to Rukia and Kana at that very moment.

"When my sister's ready, dandelion-head," Ganju answered him back angrily.

Orihime walked over with a worried look on her face. She had never seen Ichigo so tense and stressed. Usually he was the short-tempered laidback guy but he wasn't that day. He was more easily angered than he usually was.

"Ichigo, are you alright?" she asked him.

"I'm fine, Orihime," he told her. He wasn't fine at all, but he didn't want to worry her.

"You know. We're going to find them both and save them," she said, seeing through his act. "And after we save them, we can go back home and go back to the way it was before!"

Ichigo liked how Orihime made it seem that this whole situation was easy to fix. He knew it wasn't, but it still felt good to think of it that way. He also knew that nothing would ever be the same after this, but he didn't want to break her spirits.

"Thanks," he told her.

"Let's go!" they all heard Kukaku yell. "The cannon is ready!"

.: - :.

Kana, Ikakku, and Yumichika were walking down the labyrinth of streets through the Seireitei, trying to catch up on what they missed.

"What have you been doing for the past year, Kana?" Ikakku asked.

"I've been in Karakura Town living a normal life," she told him truthfully. "I was going to school, hanging with friends--."

"What friends?" Yumichika asked interested.

"Well there's Orihime, Tatuki, Keigo, Chad, Muzuiru..." She paused before she said the next name. "Ichigo..."

The two high ranked soul reapers noticed the sadness in her voice and they looked at each other before looking back at her.

"What's wrong?" the bald one asked with concern.

"Nothing," she lied. She saw the worry in her friends' eyes and sighed. "It's just that. . . Renji and Captain Kuchiki left him to die as they took Rukia and I back here. He was one of my best friends and I couldn't do anything to save him."

"I'm so sorry," Yumichika said sympathetically. "You can still see him in the districts."

Kana shook her head. "No, I can't. He's half soul reaper and he was in his soul reaper form when Captain Kuchiki fought him. And we all know that spirits that die do not return to the Soul Society."

"How can somebody be half soul reaper?" he asked.

"I'm half soul reaper, but that's only because my mother was a soul reaper and my father was human. I don't know Ichigo's story though. He's a mystery to me."

"I see what's going on," Ikakku smiled at Kana and looked over at Yumichika who was smiling also.

"You like this kid," the other soul reaper stated.

"No, I don't," she told her friends. "He was my best friend and I'll admit that I did like him, but he's dead now. Nothing can change that." And with that said, Kana ran. She didn't know where she was going, but she wanted to be alone. Bringing up Ichigo was bad on her part. Now she was feeling the guilt and sadness over power her like before.

Ikakku and Yumichika looked at each other before looking at Kana's running figure.

"There's no way a beautiful face like mine can get her upset," Yumichika stated. "So it much be your fault, Ikakku."

"My fault?! You're the one who said she liked him" Ikakku argued with him.

Before their argument could continue, a spiritual cannonball hit the barrier that surrounded the Seireitei. Only one thing came out of the soul reapers' mouths when they saw this.

"Uh oh."


	8. Chapter 8: Kidnapped!

Kana continued to run away from her friends. Talking about Ichigo brought back memories, and she didn't want to think about them anymore. Thinking about him hurt her so much. She couldn't help but believe that she was the cause of his death. Because she couldn't fight.

Suddenly, a bright light shot out from the sky, catching Kana's attention and made her stop running. She saw something hit the barrier that surrounded the Seireitei.

"Oh, my..."

She couldn't talk. She was too lost for words. The Ryoka was trying to get inside _again_ to try and kidnap her. She didn't want that. She wanted to run as far away as she could but her legs wouldn't budge.

Then, the ball that hit the barrier broke and separated into four parts, one landing where she was just previously. Where she left Ikkaku and Yumichika.

Kana knew that she had to run away but her legs still wouldn't let her move. She would too scared to move a muscle.

"What am I going to do?"

.: - :.

"Ah!" Ichigo and Ganju screamed as they are about to smash into the ground.

Ganju used a spell and turned part of the ground into sand to lessen their impact on the stone ground. They landed in the sand and Ichigo got to the surface and started to spit out the sand.

"Why did you do that?!" Ichigo yelled at Ganju who was also spitting out sand.

"What do you mean 'why'?! We would have been killed if I didn't!"

"You could have thought of something different!"

"No, I-"

"Man. This is turning out to be a good day," a new voice entered their ears. The two arguing boys saw two soul reapers in front of them. Ikkaku and Yumichika.

"Yeah. First we meet up with a lost friend and now we meet up with two Ryoka. I don't think this day could get any better," Yumichika added.

"Ichigo, they're spiritual pressure is high. I suggest we run," Ganju whispered to the carrot-top.

"Run away? You've gotta be insane!" Ichigo yelled out.

"That's good," Ikkaku overheard. "Running away would be a good idea since you have no chance against us 3rd and 4th seats in Squad 11."

"But we will not allow you to run and find our dear, innocent friend," Yumichika added... Again. "There is no reason for you to take her."

"Who the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo asked, obviously confused who they were talking about.

"Hey, Ichigo," Ganju said, catching Ichigo's attention. "I sense another spiritual pressure. It's much weaker than these two though."

Ichigo's eyes widened, along with Ikkaku's and Yumichika's.

"Could it be?" Ichigo said to himself as he stared at Ganju.

"Oh no! Kana!" the Squad 11 members yelped out in unison.

Ichigo jumped out of the sand and onto the concrete as soon as the two said her name. "Kana! Which way is she? Where is she, Ganju?"

"There's no way you'll be getting her," Ikkaku said in a low voice before Ganju could answer and placed his left hand on the hilt of his zanpakuto.

"If that's the way you want it, fine," Ichigo said and grabbed his zanpakuto from his back. "I'll just have to beat the crap out of you."

"Ichigo, you do whatever you want, but I'm getting out of here," Ganju told him and started to dash down the street, not realizing that was where Kana was.

Yumichika ran after him to stop him from getting anywhere near his friend. "Get back here!"

Ikkaku watched the two run away from him and chuckled softly. "You know, your friend there was smart to run away. You could never defeat us."

Without a second thought, Ichigo swung his zanpakuto, which Ikkaku luckily blocked with his.

Ichigo glared at the bald soul reaper and said, "Watch me."

.: - :.

Kana was still standing where she was, frozen stiff. Her mind kept telling her body to move, but her body just wouldn't cooperate. That was until someone ran into.

"Ouch," she said in pain and rubbed her arm.

Next to her, she saw a man with shaggy black hair and a green bandana on his head. He also wore some pretty ugly traveling outfit. She noticed he hasn't seen her yet because he was more worried about the bump on his head.

"Y-You're the R-Ryoka," she stuttered in a somewhat questioning tone. Why she even spoke in the first place was unknown because she should have been running away from him instead.

The man looked at her and saw that she was not in the normal soul reaper attire. "You're Kana?"

"Oh, God," she said and stood up. She was about to finally run away when she saw Yumichika running from a distance. "Yumichika! Help!" she cried out to him.

Ganju took this opportunity and grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder.

"Let me go!" Kana began to hit his back, not like it was doing any damage.

"I can't do that. My friend will kill me if I do," he told her as he ran down the street.

"And if you don't you will get killed by my friend," she said to him.

Ganju turned down a corner to try and lose Yumichika but unfortunately ran into a dead end.

"You better let go of me or I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what? From what I heard, you're not much of a fighter," Ganju remarked before saying a chant and turning the wall in front of him into sand.

Kana sighed in defeat. He was right. She had no experience in fighting what so ever.

"Just let me go please," she pleaded to the point where she was at the brink of tears. "I didn't do anything to you. There's no reason to take me. Please, just let me go."

"I'm sorry. I can't do that."

"Please. I'm begging you. Just let me go," she continued to plead with a few tears rolling down her cheek. "I just want to go home."

Ganju closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "I'm sorry. I can't do that. My friend, if you would even call him that, is going through hell to save you and I can't come here to help him if I let you go. There would be no point in coming here other than to save that Kuchiki girl."

"Wait, what? Save me?" Kana was confused. Who would want to try and help her? She thought she was in too deep of a ditch to even be helped.

"Yeah, that's the whole point of this mission. To save you and Rukia."

"Rukia?" Kana whispered to herself. "Why would you want to save us?"

"I don't have a reason. I'm just here 'cause I got dragged into the whole mess," he told her. "All I know is that my friend is determined to save you both and he will do whatever he can to achieve that."

.: - :.

"Your name is Ichigo Kurosaki?" Ikkaku questioned with a hint of amusement. If he was Ichigo, Kana's friend, then the battle will be harder than he thought. He wasn't planning on killing her friend but orders were orders.

"That's what I said," Ichigo snapped and held his zanpakuto in front of him, just as Ikkaku did.

They have fought each other but there were no major injuries. Just a few scratches here and there.

Ikkaku smirked and said, "Then you must be the Ichigo that's friends with Kana."

"So? What about it?"

"She believes that you are dead," he said, making Ichigo gasp involuntary. "Yep. She thinks you're dead and she's pretty upset about it. Too bad you won't get to see her to prove her wrong."

Ichigo tightened his grip on his zanpakuto and began to fight once again. He was going to end this fight and he knew he had to end it quick if he was ever going to see Kana again.


	9. Chapter 9: And Into The Tunnels They Go

Kana ran. Again, she had no clue where she was going. She just knew she had to get away from that man that called himself Ganju. How she got away from him in the first place was just plain luck. Now she had to make sure she didn't get anywhere near him again, or the other Ryoka that are roaming the streets.

She also couldn't believe that she actually started to believe that guy too. Wanting to save Rukia and herself. It was just a lie so that it was an easy capture. How could she have been so stupid?

.: **Flashback **:.

_"Rukia?" Kana whispered to herself. "Why would you want to save us?""I don't have a reason. I'm just here 'cause I got dragged into the whole mess," he told her. "All I know is that my friend is determined to save you both and he will do whatever he can to achieve that."_

_"Who is your friend?" Kana was hesitant to ask in fear that it was someone she knew and feared._

_"His name is Ichigo Kurosaki." _

_"I-Ichigo? That can't be," she gasped out. "That's impossible. He's dead."_

_Ganju slowed his run to a stop and he looked at her like she was the craziest person ever. _

_He put her down and asked, "What are you talking about?"_

_"He's dead," she repeated. "I saw him there, lying in his own blood. He was almost dead by Captain Kuchiki's zanpakuto when I was taken away," she began to ramble. "He's not alive. You're lying!"_

_"I'm not lying. Ichigo is fighting baldy over there so that he can find you!" Ganju yelled and pointed in some direction._

_"You're lying! It can't be Ichigo. Ichigo is dead. I was there. I left right before his final breath!"_

_"Got ya!" Yumichika's voice was heard and he ran into Ganju, making him fall to the ground. He looked at his friend and asked, "Are you alright, Kana?"_

_Kana just nodded her head and watched as Ganju slowly came back up to his feet._

_"Run away now. I'll handle him. Just make sure you're hidden," pretty boy ordered her and turned his attention to Ganju._

_Kana did as she was told and began to run away._

.: **End Flashback** :.

How could he say such a thing? Ichigo still alive? It was impossible.

_It can't be! It just can't be!_ she screamed out in her mind, tears threatening to come out. _What he said can't be true. It's just impossible!_

Kana continued to run until she couldn't run anymore. She leaned up against a wall for support and looked at her surroundings. It wasn't much different than the place she was just at. Just the streets were at different positions.

An idea popped into her mind and she began to stomp on the tiles of the Seireitei streets. When she heard an echo come out from underneath one, a smile appeared on her lips and she lifted up the tile. Underneath it were a set of stairs that lead to the underground tunnel. She went down the stairs and slid the tile back over the whole. Luckily, the tunnels were lit with some lights.

Kana quickly ran down the stairs and down different tunnels, hoping that no one would suspect her of being down there. She didn't even realize the bad stench that was coming from the sewer water. She just ran and ran until she couldn't anymore.

Eventually, she stopped running. She leaned up against the wall of the tunnel and placed one arm over her eyes to dry the tears that have spilt from her eyes. Slowly, she slid down the wall so that she was also sitting on the ground.

The bad smell of the water finally hit her, but she didn't care. She curled her legs up into her chest and hugged her knees.

"Ichigo..." was all she said before resting her head on her knees and started to silently cry to herself.

.: - :.

"Why'd you bring him here with us?" Ichigo yelled at Ganju, pointing at a young man with chin-length shaggy black hair. His name was Hanataro Yamada.

"I don't know! I just picked him up and brought him here on accident!" Ganju replied back loudly.

"What are you? A garbage man? Do you pick up whatever you see lying around?!"

"Shut up! I didn't notice him until now so-"

"This is useless, you guys," Hanataro cut into their argument. "You two need to stop fighting over me."

"We're not fighting over you!" Ichigo and Ganju both screamed at him.

"Okay, but you need to keep you're voices down or you're going to lead them straight to us."

They both quickly shut their mouths. They were now hiding inside a building and if they were found, there would be no chance of them winning.

"So is it clear?" Ichigo asked Ganju in a loud whisper.

"Yeah. For now anyway," he replied back, looking away from the small crack in the window.

Ichigo scratched the back of his head and said, "Well, we're screwed either way. If that bald guy I fought was right about Rukia being in that big white tower, we still don't know where it is or how it get there. There's also the problem to find Kana since we have no idea where she's at because of _Ganju_ losing her somewhere."

"Don't forget about her thinking you're dead," Ganju added. "And it wasn't my fault that I lost her. If that pretty boy soul reaper wasn't there, she would be here by now."

"But she's not now is she?" Ichigo said getting angry.

"Anyway, I found this map. It can lead us to where Rukia is and avoid any captains," Ganju said changing the subject.

"What kind of map is this? It doesn't even show the streets," the orange-haired teen said looking at the map. "What is that?" he pointed out as he noticed something in the corner of the map and saw Ganjus face with a hand peace sign. "Hey, wait a second! You drew this yourself, didn't you?!"

"It's better than nothing!" he yelled back. "Where's your map, smartass?"

"Um, excuse me," Hanataro said politely, trying to gain their attention.

Ichigo turned his head to face the small soul reaper and said, "Why don't you stay out of this. We're doing some serious strategizing here."

"Why don't you just beat it, kid?" Ganju added in. "You're not gonna be any use to us anyway."

Ichigo started to turn away from the boy, but what Hanataro said next stopped him.

"You're looking for Rukia Kuchiki and Kana Mitsuya, aren't you?"

Ichigo stared at him in shock. How could he have known exactly who he was talking about?

"I thought so. Rukia Kuchiki, the younger sister of the 6th Squad Captain, is a capital offender being held in the Repentance Cell, the big white tower you must be talking about," he continued to speak. "If you trust me, I can help you. I know a hidden way to that tower."

"Would you really do that?" Ichigo asked him, still not believing what he was hearing.

"MmHmm." Hanataro nodded his head. "Now I can't say the same for Kana though. Not many soul reapers actually know her and if they do, it's only because they personally know her uncle who's the 5th Squad's captain. I only know her because Captain Aizen would ask us 4th Squad members to watch her when she was much younger. As she got older, she would visit and help us out with our duties."

Ichigo smiled slightly. It was just like Kana to help others.

"I have one question to ask before I show you the way to the Repentance Cell," he continued and Ichigo nodded his head, as if to tell him to go on. "I can understand why you want to save Rukia, but why are you looking for Kana also? She's not in any harm."

Ichigo looked at the ground and closed his eyes. The memory of that night Kana was taken away replayed in his mind once again. Tears strolling down her cheeks, fear building up every second in her eyes. He balled his fists at that memory. Seeing her so frightened and scared.

It took him a minute but he finally answered Hanataro.

"Because... She's scared to death of this place and this is the last place she wants to be."

.: - :.

Minutes. Hours. Days. Kana couldn't keep track. All she knew was that how ever long she was down in that tunnel was however long she was crying. It didn't matter to her though. She was too caught up in her thoughts so even notice a stampede of elephants to run passed her.

Her head was beginning to throb and her nose was beginning to get stuffy. All the dreadful side-effects for crying for so long. This was the first time she had cried for Ichigo. Before, when she was leaving Karakura, she was crying because she didn't want to come back to the Soul Society. She didn't cry after because she figured she was just in a state of shock that one of her best friends died before her eyes. Now, she was definitely feeling the effects of his death.

Kana remembered the first time she met Ichigo. It was during their last year of middle school. She was the new kid in school so everyone wanted to talk to her, well, everyone except for few who could care less about the new kid.

First she became friends with Orihime and Tatsuki. Then it was Keigo and Muzuiru. She remember specifically Keigo not leaving her alone the minute she stepped through the door on her first day at school. He would follow her around everywhere she went. Finally, one of his friends Ichigo hit him in the side of the head with his lunchbox and told him to leave her alone. Somehow, Ichigo and Kana clicked and they've been friends ever since.

She laughed lightly at that memory even though tears continued to roll down her cheeks. No matter what Ichigo did, he always did something to make her smile, even without meaning to.

Now there wouldn't be anymore good memories of them together because of what Byakuya Kuchiki had done. Thinking about that made more tears stream down her face and she continued to cry.

.: - :.

"Are you sure no one will find us down here?" Ichigo asked as he looked around in the underground tunnels of the Seireitei.

"Yes. Everyone knows these tunnels are down here but only 4th Squad members know their way around here," Hanataro told him.

"For transporting things?" Ganju asked.

"Well not exactly," he answered nervously. "We usually clean down here."

"Wow. No wonder why those 11th Squad soul reapers didn't think so highly of you."

"Yeah, well, you get use to it, I guess."

It was silent within the group then. It was an uncomfortable silence and the smell of the water did not lessen any tension in the air.

Suddenly, Ichigo stopped, making Ganju and Hanataro to stop also.

"Do you guys here that?" Ichigo asked them in a whisper.

"Hear what? I don't hear anything," Ganju said.

"Just be quiet and listen."

They were quiet again but this time, they heard soft noises coming from around the corner.

"Someone's down here!" Hanataro gasped out. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to sneak up on whoever it is and knock them out," Ichigo answered as an evil smirk appeared on his face.

"What? Are you crazy, Ichigo? What if it's a captain?" Ganju said to Ichigo.

"Didn't Hanataro say that no one other than his squad knows their way around down here? Since his squad aren't the fighting type, it should be easy."

Ichigo quickly, but quietly, walked towards where the other tunnel intersected with the one he was in. He grabbed the hilt of his zanpakuto with his right hand and in one swift movement, he jumped out from the corner and pointed his zanpakuto out in front of him.

"Ha! Got... What?" Ichigo dropped his arm to his side when he saw a rat scurrying across the floor.

"Some soul reaper, Ichigo," Ganju said and started to laugh hysterically with Hanataro soon joining in.

"Hey! It's not-- Wait. There's still someone down here," Ichigo said as he continued to hear the noises.

He could hear the noise much clearer now. It sounded like someone was sniffling like they had caught a cold. He turned around slowly to see a girl with long wavy hair curled up in a ball and she was crying.

Ganju pointed his finger at the girl and said, "Hey, isn't that..."

Ichigo looked at the girl with worry in his eyes as he finished Ganju's sentence.

"Kana."


	10. Chapter 10: The Reunion

"Kana."

She gasped hearing her name and looked at the face who called it. Her eyes were red and puffy, making it obvious to Ichigo and the others to know that she was crying. She still was since tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

"Ichigo."

Her voice was hoarse from crying so much. Slowly, she stood up and clung to the wall for support.

Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. She was okay, except for the fact she was crying. Even if she was related to someone who was a captain, he couldn't help but think the worst had happened to her.

"Kana, we..." Ichigo took a step toward her but she just took two small steps back in response. He looked at her confused. "What are you..."

"You're not Ichigo," she stated flatly. "He's dead. There's no way you're the real Ichigo."

"But, Kana, I am Ichigo."

"No, you're not. I saw him lying in his own pool of blood," she cried out before looking away and closing her eyes. "Captain Kuchiki said there was no way he would survive with the wounds he had."

"I think she's gone off the deep end," Ganju stated in a whisper so neither Ichigo nor Kana could hear.

"Ganju! Kana's hurt. For weeks, she believed that Ichigo was dead. Now that she sees him alive, she is just confused what is true and what is false," Hanataro tried to explain, also in a whisper.

"Hm... I still think she's nuts," he replied, making Hanataro sigh heavily.

"Kana..." Ichigo tried to talk to her to make her believe that it was really him, but she interrupted him.

"No!" she cried out and opened her eyes. She then gasped when she realized Ichigo was only a few inches from where she was. Apparently he walked closer to her when her eyes were shut. "Get away!"

"I'm not going away," he told her.

"Please go! I didn't do anything to you," she pleaded. "If you don't go now I'll... I'll..."

"You'll kill me?" Ichigo finished her sentence, but as a question. He threw his zanpakuto to the side to show that he didn't care about the thread. Then he grabbed of both of her wrists and held them up. He looked right into her eyes and said, "You could never kill anyone. You're too nice and way too sweet to do that. I know this because I bam/b Ichigo."

"Let me go!" Kana cried out in fear and snatched her hands out of his grip. Then she did something Ichigo wouldn't expect her to do. She began to hit him. It was only his chest and it didn't hurt him all because she was and had been crying so hard that she couldn't hit him with full force.

"Go away," she sobbed as she continued to hit him. "I'm sick of this! Threats! Kidnappings! Just leave me alone!"

Ichigo didn't budge. Instead he wrapped his arms around her to calm her down.

"Just go..." Her hitting, then, began to cease. Soon she was just crying in his chest. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his torso. "I'm sorry, Ichigo," she said, realizing her mistake. "It's just... I thought you were dead," Kana continued to say with her voice being shaky. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Me too," Ichigo said back in a whisper.

Ganju gave a strange look at the two and said, "Well, that was unexpected."

Hanataro just nodded to agree with his comment.

.: - :.

After that emotional rollercoaster of Kana's, Ichigo got her go calm down. She ended up falling asleep from all her crying. Ichigo carried her as he, Ganju, and Hanataro made their way to the Repentance Cell.

As they walked, Kana began to talk in her sleep.

"No please... I won't tell anyone... I promise..."

Ichigo stopped walking and looked at her pained expression that played on her face.

"What's the matter with Kana?" Hanataro asked in worry.""I don't know," Ichigo answered.

Her face scrunched up and began to whimper as if she had been hit. "Please... don't hurt me anymore..."

Ichigo didn't waste another second and tried to wake her up. Something told him that her dream wasn't just a normal nightmare.

"Kana, wake up!"

Her facial expression changed to a calm and peaceful one and her eyes fluttered open. She looked at Ichigo and noticed the worry that hid in his eyes so she asked, "Is something wrong?"

Everyone was taken aback. She was just having a nightmare. How could she act like nothing happened?

"You were talking in your sleep," Hanataro told her since neither Ichigo nor Ganju didn't answer her.

"Hanataro, hey. I didn't know you were with Ichigo," she said with a tired smile. "And I was talking in my sleep? What did I say? Nothing embarrassing, I hope," she added with a soft laugh.

"Something about not telling anyone and you pleaded not to get hurt," Ganju told her.

Her eyes widened and fear was shown instantly in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Did someone hurt you?" Ichigo asked her sternly.

"Ganju? Is that you?" Kana asked purposely changing the subject. "I'm sorry about before. I should have believed you."

"It's okay."

"Kana! Answer me, dammit!"

Kana cringed slightly at Ichigo's angered tone. It scared her. She was use to him yelling at Keigo and other students at school but his anger was focused on her for the first time.

"Okay. No one hurt me. It was just a nightmare," she told him. He looked at her like he didn't believe her. "I promise, Ichigo. No one has even touched me. I'm not hurt in any way."

He rolled his eyes and put Kana so she could walk. Kana saw that he still didn't believe her and sighed.

"I swear on my life that no one hurt me," she said trying to convince him. She held up her pinky finger. "I even pinky promise that no one has hurt me."

Ichigo smirked at her ways to brighten up the mood and attached his finger to hers.

"Fine. I believe you," he said.

Kana smiled and looked forward but couldn't help to let one thought run through her mind.

_I promise, Ichigo, no one has hurt me... yet..._


	11. Chapter 11: A Fight Between Her Friends

"It's safe. We can go," Hanataro told the rest and lifted the tile so they could get out of the tunnel.

"There's no one even here," Ganju commented as he stepped out of the tunnel.

"How can you tell? The fog is so heavy," Kana asked him as she squinted her eyes to try to see through the fog.

"Well, it's clearing!" Ganju yelled.

Ichigo stood behind Kana and stared intently at whatever was in front of him. Kana looked back at him and smiled but that quickly changed into a frown.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?" she asked him concerned.

"There is someone over there by the stairs," he said not looking away.

Kana looked at the stairs many yards away and said, "I don't see anyone."

As the fog began to clear, she was able to see a dark figure at the bottom of the stairs. Her jaw dropped realizing who it was and she heard Hanataro gasp. He had also recognized who it was.

"Renji Abarai," Ichigo stated, glaring at the red-head.

"It's nice to know you remember my name," Renji said, glaring back and walking towards them.

Kana looked at both boys and saw the look in their eyes. They were ready to fight at any moment.

"No."

"'No' what, Kana?" Hanataro asked her.

She didn't answer him. Instead she just stared at her two friends with worry. Ichigo and Renji were her friends, and she didn't want them to fight.

"You took Rukia's powers away from her," Renji told Ichigo. "You're the reason why Rukia is going to die." He unsheathed his zanpakuto and pointed it at the orange-haired teenager. "And I'll make sure this time you die."

Before Kana could do anything, Ichigo stepped in front of her and held out his own zanpakuto.

"I'd like to see you try." He smirked. "I've gotten a lot stronger since the last time we met."

Renji chuckled. "You don't get it. When we squad captains and lieutenants go to the human world, our power is cut down to 20 percent. So right now, I'm five times stronger than I was then."

"Either way, I'm still gonna kick your ass," was Ichigo's response.

Kana couldn't take it anymore and ran in front of Ichigo. "Please don't fight!"

"Kana, get out of here!" Renji ordered her angrily.

"Hanataro, Ganju. Take her away from here," Ichigo told them at about the same time.

"No! Just don't fight!" she cried out. "You two are my friends and I don't want you to kill each other!"

Ichigo took her arm and pulled her back so that she was behind him with Hanataro and Ganju.

"Stay back, Kana," Ichigo said as he gritted his teeth.

When they weren't paying attention, Renji had called out his zanpakuto it's shikai form and tried to attack Ichigo by extending it.

"Ichigo!"

After hearing his friends' calls, Ichigo turned around in time to block it with his zanpakuto. Unfortunately, the attack pushed him into a nearby building.

"Ichigo!" Kana tried to run over him, but Ganju held her back.

"Heh. I knew it," Renji said but gasped, along with everyone else, when Ichigo walked out of the debris with just a scratch on his head.

"That's it?" Ichigo asked him. "Is that your strongest attack? If it was then this should be a piece of cake."

Kana smiled, happy to know that he was okay.

"Hanataro, take Kana away. Now."

"Right, Ichigo." He nodded his head. "C'mon, Kana."

"No. I'm not going," she said stubbornly. "I can't- Ah!"

Ganju had picked her up and flung her over his shoulder.

"You're just as much of a pain in the ass as Ichigo," he commented as he took her to the tunnels.

Kana just sighed knowing she wasn't going to get away from him again. She was starting to get into the routine of getting thrown over someone's shoulder.

.: - :.

"Now I really do feel like I'm kidnapped."

Kana sat on the steps with her arms crossed over her chest. Ganju had placed the tile over the entrance of the tunnel after putting Kana in there and sat on the tile. She felt like she was being held prisoner, but she also knew it was for her own safety.

Every so often, Kana would hear Ganju and Hanataro talk, but it would only come out as mumbles to her because of the tile. And as time passed by, she became more and more worried. She didn't know what was going on with the fight. She really hoped no one was hurt severely, but she also knew that she was setting her hopes too high.

Suddenly, she heard Ganju jump up to his feet and run off the tile.

"What the..."

Kana lifted up the tile and saw Ganju running towards her with a wounded Ichigo over his shoulder and Hanataro close behind carrying Ichigo's zanpakuto. She looked behind them and saw Renji on the ground unconscious and covered in blood.

Ganju ran down the steps with Hanataro close behind and said, "Soul Reapers are coming! Let's go!"

Hesitantly, she did as she was told and followed the guys through the tunnels.

.: - :.

Hours have passed and Hanataro still hadn't finished healing Ichigo. Ganju and Kana were waiting patiently while Hanataro and Ichigo were in a nearby room. Ganju had told Kana everything that happened in the fight with Renji. Ichigo probably wouldn't have liked it if she knew, but she didn't care at that moment. All she cared about was Ichigo getting better.

"So, you must really like Dandelion-Head, huh?" Ganju asked taking Kana out of her thoughts.

"I guess," she sighed. "He was my first friend when I ran away to Karakura and he's helped me through practically everything. Ichigo is my best friend."

Footsteps were heard coming from the room and Hanataro's pleading.

"Please, Ichigo. You're not fully healed yet. You still need to rest."

Kana and Ganju looked at the doorway and saw Ichigo slowly making his way out.

"There's no time for rest. I already have Kana. Now I need to save Rukia."

"Ichigo, are you an idiot? You're not even able to walk fine!" Ganju yelled at him as he walked by.

Kana ran in front of him and stopped him from going any further. She saw that his shirt was opened and white bandages covered his chest.

"Move, Kana."

She shook her head 'no'. She could tell by his voice he was still in pain.

"I can't allow you to go, Ichigo. You're hurt. If you leave this tunnel in the condition you are in, you will get killed and I can't go through that again," she told him, her voice cracking somewhat.

His eyes widened hearing that before giving her a sad look. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ganju hit him in the back of the head before he could. Unfortunately for Kana, Ichigo fell forward falling on top of her.

"Ah!" she cried out when her body hit the ground. He was so much taller than her that his body completely buried her underneath him.

"Now I have another injury to heal. Thanks, Ganju," Hanataro complained. He looked around and noticed Kana wasn't to be seen anywhere. "Where's Kana?"

"I don't know," Ganju replied. "She was here just a second ago."

"Guys! Down here!" she called out to them trying to move Ichigo off of her.

The two men saw Ichigo's body move and picked him up.

"I am so sorry, Kana," Hanataro apologized to her.

"It's okay," she said brushing the dirt off her clothes. Her face was beat red but the guys thought it was from her not being able to breathe. She was actually blushing like crazy. "I'm all right. No harm done."

"That's good." Hanataro smiled and dragged Ichigo back into the room.

Kana followed and asked, "Hey, Hanataro? Would it be okay if I stay with Ichigo?" She sounded some what nervous and shy.

"It's no problem at all, Kana."

She smiled and leaned up against the far wall of the room and watched Hanataro finish healing Ichigo. She ended up falling asleep from waiting.

.: - :.

Ichigo fluttered his eyes open and looked around. He realized he was back in the room where he woke up previously.

The next thing he noticed was that he wasn't in much pain at all. He still hurt but not nearly as much as he did before.

He sat up and saw a small sleeping figure curled in a ball on the other side of the room. It was Kana. A small smile played on his lips as he stood up and walked over to her. He sat down on his knees in front of her and shook her gently.

"Kana," he whispered to her and she groaned tiredly in response.

She lifted her head and saw Ichigo right in front of her.

"I-Ichigo? Aren't you suppose to be resting?" she asked with a yawn and rubbed her tired eyes.

"I feel fine."

"Are you sure? You were hurt pretty badly."

"I'm sure."

"I don't know if I believe you. I'm gonna go get Hanataro-" Kana started to get up, but Ichigo kept her sitting down by putting his hands on her shoulders.

"I. Am. Perfectly. Fine," he told her looking right into her eyes.

Kana nodded her head and smiled at him.

"Okay, good. I was really worried about you," she said to him in a whisper.

Slowly, Ichigo leaned in closer to her. A blush crept to her face and leaned in also.

"What the hell?! You drooled all over my pants!" Ganju screamed out breaking Kana's and Ichigo's moment.

Kana sighed silently sad that they were interrupted and walked out of the room to see if everyone was okay. Ichigo just watched her leave. When she was out of sight, he punched the wall she was just leaning up against and cursed under his breath.

"So close."

Yeah, I'll admit Ichigo was a bit out of character near the end. Sorry! I had to add some sort of romance thing to keep the story going a little bit.


	12. Chapter 12: Enter Kenpachi Zaraki

"Are you sure you don't need to rest some more, Hanataro?" Kana asked the short, dark-haired soul reaper. "You still look horrible. No offense."

About a day later, Ichigo was completely healed up and was ready to roll. Him and the rest of the group decided it was time to head out of the underground tunnels and make their way to the Repentance Cell to save Rukia.

"None taken, Kana. But I'll be fine after I take this." Hanataro pulled out a huge pill with a skull on it.

"Are you sure no one was pranking you when they gave that to you?" Ichigo asked, feeling a little uneasy about it.

"Pranking me? Why do you say that?"

"The pill has a freaking skull on it!" Ganju yelled pointing at the dark sphere in Hanataro's hand. "That thing could be poison for all you know."

"It's not poison, see?" Hanataro said and swallowed the pill whole. "Now I feel energized and ready to go."

The truth was he didn't look any different from before he took the pill. He still looked exhausted and worn out from healing Ichigo's wounds.

"You don't look any different," Ichigo said, reading Kana's and Ganju's thoughts as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head. "Did that thing even work?"

"Yep."

"Okay, whatever. Lets just get going before any more soul reapers come and want to fight," Ganju said and began to walk towards the large staircase. The rest soon joined after him.

"You would think they would have this placed guarded after my fight with Renji."

Kana's body tightened when she heard Ichigo say that. After that fight, Renji was left in such a bad condition. She really hoped he was okay.

"The soul reapers must think we wouldn't come back to the place where you fought," Ganju said, braking Kana from her thoughts and made her jump slightly.

Ichigo looked at Kana questioningly and asked, "You okay?"

A light blush reached her cheeks and she looked away shyly. That was what happened every time Ichigo would talk to her since the almost kiss they shared a couple days ago. Ichigo would react the same way Kana does when ever she would speak to him. They both then basically tried to avoid each other because of it.

"I'm okay, Ichigo," she told him truthfully.

He simply nodded his head and continued to look forward. Kana let out a relieving sigh and hoped that Ichigo didn't see her blush.

Soon, the group arrived at the stairs, and Hanataro and Ganju started their way up the stairs. Kana was soon to follow but was stopped by Ichigo holding onto her arm.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing. It's just... Um..." Ichigo let go of her and began to rub the back of his head. He looked up at the sky and tried to hid the light pink that appeared on his face as he continued to speak. "It's nothing. Let's go."

Kana nodded her head and continued to walk up the stairs with Ichigo by her side. As she did so, she felt a wave of energy rush passed her. She stopped where she was on the stairs and looked around.

"Someone's here," she whispered, barely audible so Ichigo couldn't hear, and tried to sense where she felt it come from.

She couldn't tell who it was she sensed because she was not a talented soul reaper. She never even held her own zanpakuto. Urahara would tell her that her control on her spiritual energy was excellent for someone who doesn't know the name of her own zanpakuto, but she still had a lot to learn, considering all she could know was that someone was near and they were very strong.

Kana looked up at the rest of the group and saw that they were still walking. It made her question if they felt the same thing she did, if anything at all.

Suddenly, she felt the pressure again, but this time, it was stronger, and closer. Fear ran through her body, able to who it was, and ran up the stairs. She didn't know what else to do. She just knew she had to get away.

As she ran up the stairs, she passed Ichigo who was confused when he saw her. Without a second thought, he ran after her.

"Kana! What are you doing?" he yelled out as he continued to chase her. She never replied back.

They both ran passed Ganju and Hanataro who looked confused. Confused or not, the both of them began running after the two teenagers.

"Damn! How many stairs are there?" Ganju began to complain a little later.

"Don't give up yet, Ganju," Hanataro said. "This is easy!"

Ganju looked over and saw Hanataro run passed him with so much energy.

"How the hell...? Is it that pill?" he asked, more to himself than Hanataro himself.

"Kana, slow down!" Ichigo continued to call out to her. He was a faster runner than Kana, so he was right on her tail, but she was still out of his reach. "Kana!"

Soon they reached the top of the stairs, but that didn't slow Kana down because she continued to run. Ichigo was finally close enough to her, and he grasped her arm in his hand, making her stop.

"Kana, what is wrong?" he asked her with worry as Ganju and Hanataro ran up to them.

Kana constantly looked around with fear obviously in her eyes as she answered him. "Didn't you feel that? That spiritual pressure?"

"What spiritual pressure? I didn't feeling anything," Ichigo said.

"I didn't either," Hanataro agreed.

"Same here," Ganju added.

Kana still looked around cautiously and said, "Maybe I was just... I don't know."

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo stated, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She slowly nodded her head, but she still had a feeling that someone was there _watching_ her.

"Now come on. We need to-" Ichigo was cut off by strong spiritual pressure. It was so strong, no one was able to move a muscle.

"What the hell?" Ganju grunted as he tried to see who's spiritual pressure it was.

Slowly, Kana weakly got on her hands and knees from the strength of the spiritual pressure while Hanataro was already down on the ground from it. Kana had never felt anything so strong, she couldn't help but collapsed to the tiled floor.

Ichigo saw her fall, but he couldn't do anything to help her, because he couldn't move at all.

"Well, well. Look what we have here, Yachiru," a deep, somewhat raspy, voice said.

Everyone turned their heads to see a dark skinned, tall, muscular man with ripped hemmed clothes. He had an eye patch on his right eye and black spiked-hair with bells on the ends.

They assumed that the "Yachiru" he was speaking to was the small girl that rested on his back. She had short pink hair, big brown eyes, and rosy cheeks.

Yachiru jumped off his back and landed a few feet in front of Ichigo and Kana. She then looked at Kana closely and studied her, making Kana feel a little uncomfortable.

"Hey, Kenny?" the little girl said without looking away from the blonde-haired girl. She pointed her finger at the teenager and grinned like a young child. "I found Kan-Kan!"

"It seems that we have," the man replied back.

Ichigo glared at the two and stepped in front of his friend while holding onto the hilt of his zanpakuto. There was no way he was going to let Kana get taken away again.

"Don't worry about the girl, Ichigo Kurosaki," the man told him while his eyes widened that the man knew his name. "I'm not here for her. I'm here to fight you."

Kana involuntarily gasped and stoop up as quickly as she could, noticing the spiritual pressure had lessen.

"Ichigo, you can't fight him," she told him with worry. "He's Kenpachi Zaraki. 11th Squad's captain."

"So this is the guy Ikkaku warned me about," he said with a smirk. Kana could tell he thought of the warning as an invitation instead.

"Take his warning as a warning not to fight him, Ichigo. He's one of the strongest soul reapers in the Soul Society!" Ichigo ignored her and looked at Ganju.

"Take Kana and Hanataro and get out of here. I'll catch up with you later," he told him.

"No! Ichigo-!"

"Kana, go."

"No!"

"Kana-"

"No, Ichigo. I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes, you are. It's too dangerous!"

Kana opened her mouth to continue to argue, but Yachiru interrupted.

"If you go, Kan-Kan, make sure you visit the 4th Squad," she said in her perky tone.

"Why?"

"Because, Captain Aizen was murdered!" she exclaimed dramatically and waved her hands in the air.

When Kana heard that, tears filled her eyes.

"W-What? My uncle... Murdered?"

"Yep! He's as dead as a doornail!" Ichigo and the others gave Yachiru a strange look. They couldn't understand how that girl can be so happy at that particular time.

"Are you serious?" Ichigo exclaimed and looked at the teenaged girl behind him. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. First her parents, then her uncle. Now she had no more family left. That was way more than anyone should handle, especially Kana.

Kana let the tears fall as she closed her eyes. If she didn't feel safe before, she certainly didn't feel safe then. Her uncle was always the one who protected her when she was scared. Now he was gone.

"Ichigo..." she whispered to him. He looked at her and got in eye contact with her. "This is all the more reason to stay with you. I feel safe with you..." Her voice cracked a little bit from holding in her cries for her deceased uncle. "Please, Ichigo, don't make me go!"

Ichigo's body tensed when he heard her last sentence. She sounded just like that night when Renji and Byakuya took her away. The fear and the pain in her voice brought back every detail of that night into his head.

He looked over at Ganju and said, "Ganju, take Hanataro and get out of here."

"But what about-"

"Just go."

Ganju didn't ask anymore questions and picked up Hanataro from the ground before running off towards the cell. Then Ichigo turned his attention to Kana.

"Go and hide until I finish this guy off."

Kana simply nodded her head, thankful he's letting her stay, and hid behind a nearby building.

"It's about time," Kenpachi said while holding the hilt of his zanpakuto.

Ichigo did the same and held out his zanpakuto in front of him, ready for battle.

Kana looked around the corner of the building to get a view of Ichigo.

"Ichigo, please be okay after this," she whispered. She had full confidence in Ichigo that he could hold up a good fight and beat Kenpachi, but she knew that Kenpachi was ruthless in a fight. She just knew Ichigo was going to get seriously injured. "Please. You are probably the only one to save us..."

"Who is this 'us' you speak of, Kana dear?"

The blonde gasped at the voice that suddenly appeared behind her. The same spiritual pressure she had felt before when she was on the stairs came back. For a while, she believed that the pressure was from Kenpachi, but now she was certain it was from someone else.

So many emotions were running through her mind and body. Pain. Sadness. Stress. And most of all, fear.

Slowly, Kana turned around to face the man she feared the most.

"C-Captain I-I-Ichimaru."


	13. Chapter 13: Cracked and Broken

"C-Captain I-I-Ichimaru..."

"Don't be scared of me, dear. There is nothing to fear," he said with his creepy, sinister smile.

No matter what he said, Kana was still scared to death of the man. As she stepped away from him, her heart was ready to jump out of her chest. She was beginning to think that staying with Ichigo when he was in the middle of a brutal fight with Kenpachi Zaraki was a bad idea.

"Just go away, please," she told him pleadingly and backed up into a wall. "I don't want to deal with you now. Especially after you killed my uncle!"

"Now, now. Don't start assuming things," he said, his sinister smile never fading. "You know what that does to you."

"But you said if I kept my mouth shut, you wouldn't hurt anyone!" she argued though fright was obviously showing in her voice. "And you go and kill the last living member of my family!"

"I didn't kill him."

"Liar!" Kana lifted her hand to slap him, but Gin grabbed her wrist before she could. He grip tightened and she felt pain shoot up her arm.

"Now don't do anything you'll regret," he told her. "You don't want to be the one hurt in the end."

His grip continued to tighten.

"Please, stop!" she cried out, hoping he would listen to her plea.

Unfortunately for her, he didn't and kept his hard grasp on her wrist. She looked towards where she hoped Ichigo was at, but she didn't see him so that meant he couldn't see her either. Though she didn't see him, she knew he was still there because she heard the clashing of the zanpakutos.

"You're boyfriend isn't going to save you. He's here to save Rukia," he told her.

Kana looked back at him and did her best to glared at him, but it was no use when she has so much pain and fear built up inside her.

"You're wrong. He's here for both of us. He's going to save both of us. He told me that himself," she said as she tried to hide the pain in her voice. "And Ichigo always keeps his word."

"How do you know that? You've only known the kid for a year. How can you be so sure he wasn't telling you lies that whole time?"

"Because I trust him. You wouldn't know the feeling of being trusted because no one can trust you. No one likes you." Kana felt great sticking up for herself, but she soon learned a new rule. Never stick up for yourself if the person your sticking up to was a hundred times stronger than you and was heartless.

Gin lifted Kana's arms so her body was close to his.

"True or not, I don't care. But answer me this," he said into her ear. "If you would have told Head Captain Yamamoto, who do you think he'll believe? An over-dramatic runaway teenaged girl, or a captain of one of the 13 court squads?"

Kana didn't answer. She knew what the answer was and so did Gin. If she would have told anyone, only a hand full of soul reapers would believe her.

"That's what I thought," he said sinisterly. "Before I go, I think I'll leave a little present."

The next thing she knew, she heard a loud crack and a both of pain shocked her whole body. She screamed from the pain and held her now broken arm. She fell and looked up where Gin was to find him gone.

Kana looked back down small street to the intersection where Ichigo once stood 20 minutes ago and cried.

_Please, Ichigo. I need help..._

Fortunately for Kana, Ichigo had heard her scream. When he did, his heart stopped. He knew she was hurt, and he knew he had to go and save her. He began to run where he saw Kana hide, but he was stopped by Kenpachi Zaraki, his opponent.

"You're not leaving in the middle of the fight, are you?" he asked him.

Ichigo could tell from the tone of Kenpachi's voice that it was a rhetorical question so he didn't bother to answer it. Instead he glared at the large man in front of him.

"You're not leaving when this fight is just starting to get good."

Ichigo held his glare and continued to say nothing.

_I have to get rid of this guy fast, _he thought._ Hold on, Kana. I'm on my way._


	14. Chapter 14: A Letter From Her

Silence. Only the tapping of footsteps outside the room, where Kana was being held in 4th Squad, could be heard. Kana sat quietly on the bed with her broken arm wrapped up and hung in a sling, and tried to listen to the conversations other soul reapers were having in the hallways. So far, she only got the fact that one Ryoka was placed under the care of Squad Four and then will be transported to a cell so the Soul Society could keep an eye on him. Kana just hoped that it wasn't Ichigo who was captured.

After the fight, Ichigo and Kenpachi ended up passing out from exhaustion and their wounds. Kana wasn't sure where either of them went to because soon after she heard the clashing of their zanpakutos stopped, they disappeared. And she knew they were both too weak to move on their own.

Then after that, some members of 4th Squad found her curled up in a ball, holding her injured arm, and recognized her as being the deceased Captain Aizen's niece. They took her to their Squad, healed her, and then placed her in a room so that she wouldn't be "kidnapped" again. Kana tried to convince them that she wasn't kidnapped at all, but they wouldn't believe her. Plus, it was under the orders of Head-Captain Yamamoto to keep an eye on her if she was found.

So that was why she was sitting in a room alone with nothing to do. It was like she was the one who was getting executed, and not Rukia.

Don't think Kana didn't want to get out, because she did. She looked at every inch of the room she was in and found no exit, unless she wanted to blow a whole through the wall, which she couldn't do. She would just use the door, but there was a soul reaper guarding the door from the outside.

Kana knew she had to get out of the room. She needed to help Ichigo. Warn him. Save him. He didn't know everything that was bound to happen. No one knew the trouble that was going to happen way too soon. No one knew... Except her.

She wouldn't even have known if she didn't get curious and listened to a conversation she wasn't suppose to hear. Who took part in the conversation? One was Gin Ichimaru. Kana couldn't hear the other voice quite well, so she didn't know who the other person was. Even though she only heard one side of the conversation, she still could understand that Ichimaru was not who everyone thought he was.

She didn't know the full story, but she knew it had to do with what Kisuke Urahara had invented that got him exiled from the Soul Society. Something that could exceed mastering of a soul reaper's powers by removing the barrier between soul reapers and hollows, making one into the other. Kana didn't get the name of the mechanism, but she knew Gin and his partner, you could say, wanted it. They were going to use it and betray the Soul Society.

When Kana was listening to that part of the conversation, she knew she had to tell someone. She was scared from head to toe knowing the little information she did and didn't want to listen to anymore. In her opinion, she heard all that she needed to, especially if she was going to report Gin to the Head Caption of the Soul Society.

Unfortunately for her, she was caught eavesdropping by Gin Ichimaru himself. He threatened to hurt her and the ones she had close to her, what was left of her family and her friends she had made in the Soul Society, if she said a word to anyone. So she kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to put harm to her uncle who she loved like a father and to her friends that helped take care of her when she was younger.

That was why she ran away to Karakura. To get away from Gin Ichimaru. She didn't want to spill the beans and have her rest of her friends and family perish from existence. She didn't want to get hurt in anyway, shape or form. She had to get away from the Soul Society from fear of that happening to them and herself.

And that was how Kana ended up at Kisuke's doorstep. Her mother talked highly of him, and she even met him a few times when she was a child. She knew Kisuke would let her stay with no questions asked because he was good friends with her mother. All Kana told him was that she ran away and he taught her how to hide her spiritual pressure to keep herself from being found.

And that was her fearful secret.

Kana looked up at the ceiling and let out a heavy sigh, knowing she had nothing else to do but help out her friends.

_How am I going to get out of here?_

.: - :.

"Where am I?" Ichigo mumbled as his eyes slowly opened. He looked up and saw he was not where he passed out yet. He also noticed his wounds were bandaged up. "Who brought me here?"

Realization hit him when he remembered all that happened during the battle. Chad's spiritual pressure disappearing. Zangetsu appearing. Kana's painful scream.

"Ah! I gotta save Kana!" he screamed out as he sat up quickly from where he laid. "I gotta help Chad!"

"Ichigo! Calm down! Your wounds are going to reopen!" Yoruichi's voice was heard as the cat appeared on the scene.

"Calm down?! I-" Ichigo stopped mid-sentence as one of his major wounds on his stomach reopened. He placed his hands where it hurt and groaned in pain.

"I warned you," the black cat told him. "Just relax. Chad is fine. And so are Orihime and Uryu."

"Really?" Ichigo asked, not quite believing what he was hearing as he laid back down on the blanket and rested his head on the pillow.

"Yes. Chad was lucky that he was facing who he was. The captain left him wounded and alive. Orihime and Uryu have avoided confrontation and don't even have a scratch."

"That's good. What about Kana?"

Yoruichi didn't say a word. That worried Ichigo.

"Well?"

"I don't know, Ichigo. I didn't see her when I found you. I didn't even sense her spiritual pressure. She may not know what her zanpakuto looks like or what it's name is, but I can understand why Urahara was fascinated with her ability in controlling her spiritual pressure. She is rather gifted," Yoruichi explained before he narrowed his eyes at Ichigo in a teasing manner. "Unlike you."

Ichigo wanted to wring the cat's neck, but he decided against it knowing that Yoruichi was the one who had, somehow, healed him. Plus, he didn't want to reopen anymore wounds.

"Where is she now?" he asked Yoruichi, hoping that the wise cat knew the answer.

"I don't know. I assume that she's in the care of the Soul Society, but I can't say for sure. I still can't sense her spiritual pressure anywhere so I suspect she is hiding from something," he answered truthfully. Ichigo sighed heavily as he closed his eyes.

_"I feel safe with you..."_

He cringed at hearing her words replay in his mind. How could she feel so safe with him? Her scream during his fight with Kenpachi sounded so agonizing, so painful. Ichigo just knew she was hurt somehow, and now he didn't even know where she was. She could be dead since neither he nor Yoruichi could sense her spiritual pressure. It wasn't a possibility he would like to think about, but it was definitely a possibility that it could be true.

Mentally cursing himself, Ichigo found himself regretting a lot of things at the fact that Kana may be dead. He wished he paid more attention to her when they were both in Karakura, then he would have known about Kana's parents. He wished he was more curious when she was sleep talking, then he would have known what was bothering her about coming to the Soul Society. And most importantly, he wished he would have watched her more closely, then she wouldn't be hurting.

_Kana, what the hell is going on?_

.: - :.

"That's it, I have to get out of here," Kana said, finally standing up from the bed and going to the door. Then she lifted her left hand, the one that wasn't broken, and began to hit it. "Let me out!"

"I can't do that, Miss Mitsuya," a voice said that was unrecognizable to Kana. "I was ordered to keep you in there until everything is settled."

"But I... Uh... I gotta go to the bathroom," she told the soul reaper. "And I really gotta go."

"Are you serious?" the soul reaper said like he wished he was somewhere else other than there.

"Uh-huh. I gotta go really bad," she lied.

"Okay. Um... Hold on."

Kana heard someone shuffle on the other side of the door and it soon opened. A man that wasn't any taller than her was there. He stepped over to the side so that she could walk out of the room. Kana took a couple steps down the hallway before she suddenly felt cold.

"Wow, it's cold out here in the hallway," she said as she faked a shiver. "Can you do me a favor and grab my sweater that's in the room? I'm really cold."

"Sure," the soul reaper grumbled and left into the room where Kana just was.

Once he was in there, Kana slid the door shut and used the chair that was by the door to keep the door shut.

"Hey!" the soul reaper yelled and started to bang on the door. "Let me out!"

Kana ignored him and ran down the hallway carefully, making sure nothing hit her arm or no one would see her. Luckily for her, she was able to run out of the building unseen. Many of the members of 4th Squad were working hard on healing their fellow comrades so it wasn't real hard for Kana.

Running down one street within the Seireitei, Kana only had one place in mind that would lead her to her friends.

The Repentance Cell.

.: - :.

"Yoruichi," Byakuya Kuchiki said with no emotion in his voice at all, but shocked just as much.

Ichigo, along with Hanataro and Rukia, also did not expect her to be there on the bridge to Rukia's cell. His eyes were wide and his jaw had dropped while his zanpakuto was held in front of him, ready to fight the black-haired captain.

Ganju laid unconscious and bloodied on the wooden floor from Byakuya's previous attack. Jushiro Ukitake, a captain of the 13th Squad who was also there, looked just as shocked as the others when Yoruichi arrived, but he was not surprised for that reason.

"It's been a long time..." the dark toned woman said while glancing at the 6th Squad Captain. "...Byakuya."

"Yoruichi Shihouin, huh?" Byakuya stated more than asked, not showing anymore emotion in his face just like the tone of his voice. "I haven't seen your face in a while. You've been in hiding for 100 years. I thought you were dead."

Yoruichi just stared at Byakuya, not saying a word. Even if she was going to, Ichigo decided to speak to her.

"Yoruichi, you came here to rescue me," he stated simply. He was still injured from his fight was Kenpachi. "I realize that. I appreciate it, but at the moment, I need you to step aside so I can beat this guy."

"Beat him? Do you really think you can beat this guy?" the woman asked him, looking away from Byakuya.

Ichigo, being the stubborn teenager he was, thought he could beat the captain in the condition he was in. He was so angry at the Byakuya for not only taking away his own _sister_ back to the Soul Society to be executed, but for also taking Kana back when she was trying so hard to fight back to stay away from the place. Sure, Renji was the one or physically carried her through the doorway to the Soul Society, but it was Byakuya who gave the order and for that, Ichigo was pissed.

Light taps of running feet hitting the ground came to his ears, but he never took his glare away from Byakuya. No one dared to look away at what might happen in just a few moments.

"Ichigo!" a yell was heard and caught Ichigo's attention. His eyes widened, recognizing the voice and turned his body around to catch a sight of his blonde friend.

She was leaning up against one of the wooden poles that stood that the end of the bridge and was heavily breathing from running. She was smiling, happy from finding him once again.

Happiness was shown on Ichigo's face when he saw her, seeing that she was alive and fine. He noticed her wrapped up arm that hung on a sling around her neck and a flashback of her agonizing scream filled his ears. Someone had hurt her and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Kana..." he said softly, sad at the fact he couldn't prevent her from getting hurt.

Yoruichi looked at Ichigo, then to the blonde fifteen-year-old she had recognized seeing her at Kisuke's shop, then back to Ichigo. She took the chance while Ichigo's guard was down and stabbed her fingers into his stomach, putting drugs into his system to make him unconscious.

"Ichigo!" Kana screamed again, but this time, she was not happy at what she saw.

When she saw some of his blood hit the wooden planks below their feet, she ran towards him. She ran around Ganju's still form, which she was quite upset about also, but then was stopped by Ukitake sticking out his arm in front of her.

"Captain Ukitake, please let me through!" she cried out to him, but he only shook his head.

Looking back at Ichigo, Kana saw that his unconscious body was being carried by Yoruichi.

"And yet, you haven't once beaten me in the game of 'tag,' have you?" the purple-haired woman said to Byakuya. Kana had missed the first part of their conversation trying to pass Ukitake.

"Shall we give it another try?" he asked while narrowing his eyes at her. Then he disappeared before Kana's eyes, along with Yoruichi. They both were using flash step.

At a moment, Byakuya had thought he had finally caught Yoruichi, but it came out to be a trap and she was able to escape to the top of a building.

"Three days," Yoruichi began. "In three days, I shall teach this boy stronger than you. Until then, consider the fight between you two postponed." And then she was out of everyone's sight.

"So, you're going to let them get away," Ukitake spoke to Byakuya as he began to walk away. "Hey! Byakuya, where are you going? I thought you came to capture the Ryoka."

"I've lost interest," was all Byakuya said before he was out of sight as well.

"Typical," the white-haired captain said to himself while rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "He does whatever he feels like."

Kana didn't move from her spot and just looked down at the floor, sorrowfully.

_Why is it that every time I'm reunited with Ichigo, we get taken away from each other?_ she thought as she heard a thud. She looked up and saw Rukia had fallen onto the ground.

"Rukia!" Kana said, worried.

"Don't worry, Kana. She will be fine," Ukitake assured her, and Kana just nodded.

Hanataro had ran to Rukia's side to make sure she was all right. Ukitake just looked at the two of them, in thought.

"Hey, Kiyone! Santaro!" he then called out. "Get down here now!"

Two soul reapers jumped from the sky and landed in front of Kana and Ukitake. One was short with short orange hair while the other was taller and had short black hair.

Kana ignored the two as they began to fight to be their captain's favorites and looked up at where Yoruichi was last at before she left with Ichigo. She was mad that she was left alone, again, when she needed to be with him. No matter how many soul reapers were around that could protect her from the evil that will come for her, she still felt unsafe. And the only way to get that feeling away was when she was with Ichigo.

"Kana."

She was taken out of her thoughts and looked at Ukitake who had called her name.

"Yes, Captain Ukitake?" she replied back shyly.

"Follow me. I have orders to take you to the 4th Squad quarters from Captain Yamamoto," he told her.

"Please, Captain. Don't take me back there. I can't go back there. They'll just lock me in a room and make me feel like a prisoner," she pleaded to him.

Ukitake let out a heavy sigh and gave her a kind smile.

"You remind me so much of your mother," he said. "Let's go. I'm sure Captain Yamamoto wouldn't mind you staying with me until this whole problem is settled."

Kana smiled also, showing happiness in her face. Her mother was placed in the 13th Squad under Ukitake so he was like another father to her. Her mother wasn't seated in the division, so she wasn't very well known with the other soul reapers. Even so, she was well known by Ukitake and the other higher class officers because she would always beg and plead to get days off to go to the World of the Living. Most didn't know why, but Ukitake knew she wanted to see her daughter.

"Thanks, Captain Ukitake," she said and they both began to walk to the 13th Squad quarters.

It was silent as they walked through the streets, with the occasional yell from someone who was talking about the Ryoka. That was until a short boy with spiked white hair and green eyes ran up to them. His name was Toushiro Hitsugaya, the 10th Division captain.

"It's about time I found you," he stated as he looked up at the two in front of him.

"What are you talking about?" Ukitake asked the boy prodigy.

"I found a couple letters left on Aizen's desk after his death and one of them had Kana's name on it," Toushiro answered, holding the white envelope in his hand. He handed it to Kana and she gladly took it.

"Thanks, Captain Hitsugaya," she told him, not taking her eyes away from the envelope.

Toushiro nodded his head and flash stepped away back to his division. Kana hesitated a moment before opening the envelope slowly and pulled out the paper inside. Ukitake watched intently, curious on what the letter said but did not look over her shoulder to read it.

Suddenly, Kana gasped and dropped down to her knees, still not looking away from the letter. Ukitake knelt down also to make sure she was alright and noticed the tears that began to build up in her eyes.

"Kana, what's wrong?" he asked her while putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I-It's from her," she was able to stutter out. A large smile played on her lips as she looked up at Ukitake's face. "The letter's from my mom."


	15. Chapter 15: Another Runaway

_My beautiful baby girl,_

_As you are reading this, you must know that I am no longer with you. I had told my brother, your uncle, not to give this letter to you until you were old enough to understand._

_You see, while on a mission, I gathered information I was not suppose to hear. The information I know could hurt the Soul Society. I wasn't able to know all the information so I'm going on my own to gather more and try to stop whatever is going on. There is a 98 chance that I will not survive this mission and if I do, I want you to continue it. You may feel weak and vulnerable but I know that deep down inside you are strong._

_I love you and be careful._

_With much love,_

_Mom_

Kana re-read the letter again for the millionth time in two days. She still couldn't believe that the letter she held in her hands was written by her own mother.

At the moment, she was sitting on the couch in Toushiro's office. Ukitake said he wasn't feeling well enough that if something would have happened, he wouldn't be much help in protecting her. So he asked Toushiro to watch over her. Rangiku, Toushiro's lieutenant, wasn't there, ignoring her work as always (said Toushiro), and he was at his desk doing his paperwork.

"You know, you don't have to hide your spiritual pressure. You're safe now," he told her, startling her slightly. She looked at the small boy and saw he didn't look up from his desk.

"I know, it is a habit and habits are hard to break," she said back with slightly shrugging her shoulders. It was a lie, what she said, but she played it out quite nicely because he seemed to believe her.

The truth was, Kana didn't want to get hurt again. Her arm, thanks to 4th Squad, was finally fixed completely after hours of healing. She really didn't want to be hurt, especially for what she was about to do next.

After standing up, Kana casually began to walk around, acting like she was interested of the decorations in the office.

"What are you doing, Kana?"

Kana looked at Toushiro and saw that he was looking at her quizzically and his right eyebrow was raised.

"Nothing. I couldn't sit anymore," she answered him.

"Okay," she said, slightly suspicious. He was very good at reading people, not surprising with him being a boy prodigy.

Once Toushiro looked back down at his work, Kana slowly made her way towards the door that led to outside. She was successfully able to get to the door unnoticed and when he wasn't even facing her direction, she ran out.

Toushiro was able to hear her running steps and jumped out of his chair.

"Kana! Get back here!" he called out, even though he knew she wouldn't listen to him.

He ran out of his office and didn't see any sight of her anyway. Also, he couldn't sense her anywhere because she was still hiding her spirit energy.

"She's just as much of a pain as Rangiku," he mumbled as he frantically tried to decide which way Kana could have went.

Just then, two soul reapers from his squad walked his way.

"Hey, you two! Come over here!" he ordered them and they rushed over.

"Yes, sir!"

"Kana Mitsuya has gone missing. She has blonde hair, blue eyes, and is wearing a blue sweats. Find her and bring her to me **now**. Make sure you get others to help you."

"Right, sir!" the two soul reapers bowed and disappeared from their spots.

Toushiro sighed, not believing he just lost a fifteen-year-old girl and hung his head slightly with his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes, he found a piece of paper laid on the ground by his feet. He picked it up and began to read it, curious as to what it said. His eyes widened as he realized this was the letter to Kana he had found in Aizen's office. He was even more shocked to see that it was written by her mother, Saya.

As he continued to read it, he noticed something strange in the letter.

"What are you looking at?" someone suddenly asked from beside him, though he wasn't startled at all.

"Rangiku, read this," Toushiro said while handing the letter to the orange-haired woman.

Rangiku quickly read the letter and gasped when she saw who wrote it, seeing as how she was good friends with Saya before she died. She reread the letter to make sure her mind wasn't playing game with her.

"Do you see anything wrong with that letter?" her captain asked in a serious tone.

Without saying a word, Rangiku nodded.

"There's no way Saya would ask her won daughter to finish a mission when she clearly knew Kana absolutely despises fighting to this day," he began to explain. "This letter was forged to trick Kana. Just like what happened to Momo. This letter is a trap."

.: - :.

Kana ran as fast as her legs could run until she reached the small red door before her that led to Central 46. She had to tell them what was going on, what she was hearing. There was no other way Kana could finish the mission and grant her mother's last wishes, except to tell the people in Central 46 what she had heard and hoped they believed her.

She was about to knock on the door when it opened in front of her.

"Okay... That's weird," she said and looked in a little bit to see if she could see anything else but darkness.

She took a few slow steps into the shadows, fearing what could be lingering in them.

"Hello? Can somebody help me?" she asked, but heard no reply back. "Is anybody here?"

She took a few more steps when she suddenly felt wind hit her back. Before she could turn around to see if it came from outside, something hit her in the back of the head and collapsed into the ground.


	16. Chapter 16: Two Down And There She Is

"Momo..." Toushiro whispered, scared at the scene. Right in front of his eyes laid Momo in her own pool of blood, unconscious.

It had been a day since Kana went missing again and everyone was trying their best to look for her. It was also the day of Rukia's execution.

Toushiro and Rangiku went to Central 46 to try to convince them to stop the execution and to show them Saya's letter. When they got there, everyone in Central 46 had been killed and had been for days. While investigating it, Izuru was there and they followed him. Then he gave a tip that Momo had been following them everywhere they went which brought Toushiro to the sleeping quarters of Central 46.

"Momo... No..."

"It's a shame," he heard a voice say.

Toushiro quickly turned around and saw Aizen and Gin standing behind him.

"Aizen!" he shouted, shocked. One of the men in front of him were suppose to be dead; who wouldn't be shocked by that?

"Don't be so surprised, Hitsugaya," Aizen stated calmly.

"So, you did this to Momo?" he said thought his teeth, furious.

"I didn't mean for you to find her like this. Maybe if I chopped her into tiny pieces and hid her somewhere-"

"How could you do this to Momo?" Toushiro asked, interrupting Aizen. He didn't want to hear anymore, especially if Aizen was talking like murdering his friends were a daily routine of his. "She looked up to you. She even risked her life to become your lieutenant!"

"That was what made her the perfect pawn to my plan. Momo was so easy to manipulate and make her believe she couldn't live without me. She believed every word that I told her. That's how she thought you were the one that killed me."

"So then, I assume that you forged the letter to Kana, also. The one that she believed was written by Saya?"

"When they called you a child prodigy, they weren't kidding," Gin commented, not surprised at all it was like he and Aizen were expecting Toushiro to figure it all out. "How did you figure that out?"

"Saya died alongside her husband in the World of the Living, meaning her husband went on the mission with her even though he had no spiritual powers what so ever. There is no way Saya would endanger her family and include her husband on a suicide mission. She wouldn't even go on a suicide mission in the first place. She was a mother of a small, defenseless child. The only way she would have gone a suicide mission was if the mission affected her child. Plus, if Saya was the good mother many people knew she was, she would never have written a letter to Kana to ask her to finish the job if it meant risking Kana's life.

"After I read that letter, I knew someone hat to forge it. The real question is why? Why would you write a phony letter to a girl who thought of you as a second father? What is the point in tricking the minds of Momo and Kana who have absolutely no idea what is going on?!" As the small captain explained, his voice grew louder and angrier until the very last word. He was absolutely furious about what was going on.

"They were both just simply pawns to my plan. Nothing else," Aizen answered like it wasn't a big deal, adding more fuel to Toushiro's anger.

Toushiro unsheathed his zanpakuto and called out it's name, releasing it. Ice swirled around his small figure before wings appeared on his back made of nothing but ice and it traced down his right arm to where he held his zanpakuto.

"Now, you're going to die!" he told Aizen and rushed forward, stabbing him in the stomach. Then right in front of him, Aizen disappeared.

"Too slow."

Toushiro's eyes widened, realizing Aizen was now behind him.

"W-What?" He was so confused as he began to feel pain on the right side of his body. Blood spilt out of his body not even a second later and he collapsed to the ground.

"It's not the right season for ice," Aizen commented. "Though it's always nice to see this time of year."

"Captain Aizen," someone said as she appeared on the scene. Her name was Unohana, captain of Squad 4, and her lieutenant, Isane, was right there best to her. "No, I guess it wouldn't be right to call you that now after what I had just witnessed."

"Captain Unohana. I was wondering when you were going to figure it out," Aizen said, smirking. Remembering something, he slightly glanced over at Gin and said, "Before I forget, why don't you get our surprise."

"Why, of course, sir." Gin walked into the chamber, where Central 46 slept. As he did this, Isane grabbed the hilt of her zanpakuto, ready for whatever Aizen had planned.

"You don't want to do that," he spoke to her.

"And why not? You've brought Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Hinamori to near death. What makes you think the same thing won't happen to us, also?"

"This would be why," Gin said and the two women looked at him.

Lying on the ground, exhausted, laid a girl with blonde knotted hair that stuck to her tear stained face. Her once beautiful blue eyes were now red and puffy from crying. Her hands seemed to be tied behind her back and a white cloth was tied around her head so that her mouth was covered and she couldn't talk. And by the way her body was shaking, taking deep breaths, tears falling down her face, anyone could see she was silently sobbing. And to women's surprise, the girl was Aizen's niece, Kana.

Before they could say or do anything, Aizen said, "We would stay and chat, but we have some other business to attend to."

Then him, Gin, and Kana disappeared before their eyes.

**.: - :.**

The three had appeared on top of the cliff where Rukia was suppose to be executed but was saved by Ichigo, and they were not the only ones there. Tousen was also there, seeing as he was helping Aizen with his plans, and so was Renji and Rukia, though they had no idea what was going on.

Renji and Rukia just looked around confused on how they returned back to the place they were running away from, but they were more shocked to see a supposedly dead captain in front of them.

"Captain Aizen, how-"

"Set Rukia down and step away from her, Renji," Aizen stated, interrupted the red-headed soul reaper.

Renji stared at him wide eyed. "What?"

"I'll repeat myself. Set Rukia down and step away from her, Renji, and your life will be spared."


	17. Chapter 17: Aizen's Plan All Along

"No way…" Renji said under his breath as he looked straight at the man who everyone believed was dead, Aizen. Gin was standing a little bit behind the supposed dead man with Kana's arm in his grip while she stayed sitting on her knees, not bothering to fight back anymore.

Rukia was scared for her life when she and Renji were transported back to the execution site.

"Renji, give me Rukia and your life with be spared," Aizen told him.

"There's no way I'll agree to that!" Renji yelled back. He'd rather die than give up Rukia.

"I thought that's what you'd say," Aizen said, sighing. As if that was an order, Gin pulled out his zanpakuto and placed it on the neck of the blonde who only cried harder in fear she was going to die. "If you don't care about your own life, then what about Kana's?"

Both Renji and Rukia gasped out of fear for Kana's life.

"Would you really sacrifice your last living family member-"

"You might want to decide soon," Gin interrupted Renji. "Kana's life is running short."

He placed the blade closer to Kana's neck who tried to move away from it with no avail. A small whimper came from her in response.

Renji was in a tough position. He had been friends with Rukia way before he became a soul reaper but he always thought of Kana as a baby sister. He couldn't decide who to save. No matter how much he wanted to save both, he didn't have enough strength to.

Suddenly, someone in black appeared in front of him and Rukia. That someone wore black clothes that was not the normal soul reaper attire and wielded a think black-bladed zanpakuto.

"Hello, there," he spoke to Rukia and Renji behind him, not taking his eyes off of Aizen.

"I-Ichigo?" Rukia whispered.

"It looks like you need some help," he continued to speak.

"Ichigo, be careful. They're holding Kana hostage," Renji told him, getting right to business. The two had no time for their rivalry, not when someone's life was on the line.

"What?" Ichigo looked at the small figure lying on the grown, lowing his zanpakuto slightly. Anger and fury burned inside him when he finally saw the condition he was in. The blade against her neck. The fear and pain in her eyes. Her sparkling skin from her tears on her face. Her trembling body. Her soft cries. He looked at every detail that shouldn't be, in any way describing her.

Ichigo's grip on his zanpakuto tightened as he said through his grinded teeth, "And don't tell me that four-eyed bastard in front of me is her uncle."

Neither Renji, nor Rukia, said anything. They knew Ichigo knew the answer. They didn't want to say the truth to fuel more of his anger.

"That bastard's mine."

"Ichigo, wait! You attack them head on and Kana's gone!" Rukia yelled at him before he took another step.

"Then what the hell are we suppose to do?" he began to yell also."

"We have to kill two birds with one stone," Renji answered with full seriousness. "I can give you an opening, but this is our only chance. They'll expect it if he play this card again."

"Got it."

"Ready?"

"Always."

"Let's go! Roar, Zabimaru!" Renji pulled out his zanpakuto and released it to Shikai form, aiming it at Aizen. Right at that time, Ichigo disappeared from everyone's sight. Right when Zabimaru was going to hit Aizen, it shifted and headed towards Gin, who had to move his zanpakuto away from Kana's throat to block it. Then, Ichigo made himself visible by swinging his zanpakuto at Aizen. He was planning on killing both Aizen and Gin in two swings if he was fast enough. Unfortunately he wasn't because he was unexpectedly blocked by Aizen with just one finger.

"What the-" Ichigo began but then let out a yelp of pain, feeling his body get sliced by Aizen's blade. Ichigo tried his best to lean on his own zanpakuto but didn't have enough strength to considering he was almost split in half and he collapsed onto the dirt.

Kana watched with wide eyes as he fell to the grown in slow motion. She began to move around violently, trying to get out of Gin's grip to help Ichigo. She began to yelled Ichigo's name but because of the cloth, sit just sounded like muffled screams.

Not too much later, Renji was injured by Aizen and he fell to the ground also.

Kana continued to move around, tying to get Gin to let go of her, but to no avail. Her screams were still heard, hoping that would get Ichigo to at least acknowledge he was alive since he didn't move at all once he had fallen.

Aizen helped Rukia to her feet because his spiritual pressure was so strong Rukia could barely move.

"Rukia, you have something that I wan," he told her.

Meanwhile, Kana was still thrashing around, screaming. She was crying also because she was beginning to think this was the end for all of them. No one was going to come and help them. No one was going to save them. And no one was going to come and heal Ichigo before he was gone forever.

"You might want to stop doing that," Gin's voice entered her ears. She sensed his face close to her own as he spoke, but she couldn't tell since her eyes were closed.

"Get the hell away from her."

"Hm?" Gine looked away from Kana as she gasped. They both looked at the orange-haired teenager.

"I said get the hell away from her," Ichigo repeated himself as he weakly lifted he torso off the dirt. "From the both of them."

This caught Aizen's attention and he also looked at Ichigo.

"You're still conscious?" he said. "I'm surprised at how much stamina you have. I nearly chopped you in half."

Ichigo just glared at him. "Why do you want Rukia so bad?"

"Since there's no way to stop me now, I might as well tell you. For ever soul reaper, there is a limit to how powerful they get. No matter how much they train, they can't surpass that point. There is one way to do so and that is for a soul reaper to gain Hollow abilities, or vice versa," Aizen began to explain, shocking everyone who could hear, with the exception of Tousen and Gin.

"So I began to research by giving hollows soul reaper powers. I was able to get the hollows to hide their spiritual pressure, destroy zanpakutos with a touch and fuse with other soul reapers. Sadly, they all ended in failures. Then, Kisuke Urahara made a device to make a soul reaper/hollow hybrid called the Hougyoku. He soon saw it as something terrible if caught in the wrong hands so he tried to destroy it. But he could not. He put a shield around it to help hide it and placed it in a gigai that, within time, could make a soul reaper human. Tha tis how he got banished from the Soul Society. And where did he had the Hougyoku? Inside Rukia."

Rukia gasped feeling betrayed by Kisuke, along with Ichigo. All this time, Ichigo believed Kisuke wanted to save Rukia when really he wanted to protect an invention.

Kana stared wide-eyed at her uncle. She couldn't believe he was the mater mind behind everything that had happened.

"Now, Ryoka," Aizen said, beginning to talk to Ichigo, "I've been watching your every step, even before you entered the Soul Society. You see, I had to make sure you and your friends come to cause a distraction while I continue with my plan. That is why I had planned Kana to get scared and run away to Kisuke Urahara's shop. She befriended you and I knew that if she was taken away from the World of the Living, you would try to save her. It just so happened you befriended Rukia also who held the Hougyoku in her."

"You used your own family to get what you want?" Ichigo growled angrily. "You're a sick bastard."

Aizen ignored him to see the fear, pain, and anger Kana had in her eyes. Then he turned his attention to Rukia and lifted her into the air. He pulled out a small purple cylinder and suddenly, pointed, green rocks that resembled fingers came out of the ground. His one arm looked the same and he stabbed it into Rukia's chest.

"No1" Ichigo yelled, thinking she was hurt while Kana started to struggle in her spot again.

Aizen pulled his hand out of Rukia's chest, nolding onto something small in his hand, and she fell to the ground.

"The Hougyoku is smaller than I thought," he said to himself while observing it.

"The hole in Rukia's chest began to dissipate at this time. Once again, Aizen lifted the small girl into the air.

"There is no more use for her. Gin, kill her," Aizen ordered. "Then Kana."

Kana began to scream through the cloth and tried to get out of Gin's grip. Ichigo tried his beset to get up, but he was nearly split in half. He couldn't do much of anything.

"Would you really kill your last living family member?" Ichigo said, trying to stall as long as he could. He hoped that maybe there were people on their way to help.

"I killed my sister and her husband without any trouble," Aizen stated like it was nothing. Kana stared at her uncle in shock. "Sure, it will be a little harder since Kana has lived with me for so long, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Why you-"

"Gin, kill them," Aizen interrupted

"Of course," Gin replied, holding out his zanpakuto towards Rukia. His zanpakuto lengthened and was about to hit Rukia, but at the last minute, Byakuya seized her and took the blow for her.

That was when more soul reapers arrived. Yoruichi in her human form and Soi Fon held onto Aizen, Rangiku had Gin, and another soul reaper had Tousen. Jidanbo and Kukkaku even showed up along with Orihime, Chad, Ganju, and Uryu.

"Let go of her, Gin," Rangiku demanded. Gin just smirked in response.

Aizen said some words incoherent to everyone around him except Yoruichi and Soi Fon.

"Soi Fon, get away!" Yoruichi yelled out and the two women jumped away.

A crack in the sky was formed and when it opened, tones of large hollows called Menos Grande appeared but they never left the hole. Behind them was what looked like a large purple eye. Three yellow lights came down on Aizen, Tousen, and Gin, along with Kana. Then they began to lift into the sky.

"I hope you can catch," Gin said to Rangiku who had let go of him before he started to float into the air. Then he threw Kana off the rock he was on, and Rangiku caught her swiftly. She, as fast as she could, took off the ties over her mouth and around her wrists.

Kana's body still shook in terror and shock of what just happened. She was also silently sobbing. She didn't have enough energy to do anything else. She held her arms close to her body so she was curled into a ball.

"It's okay, Kana. You're safe now," Rangiku tried to comfort her as the three men disappeared into the hole and it closed.

Kana still shook and she couldn't control it. Ichigo saw this and got very worried. He had never seen anyone look as horrible as Kana did at that moment. He knew for a fact something was definitely wrong.

"Kana…"

"Someone, get members of Squad 4 here now!" Captain Yamamoto ordered. "Get enough to help everyone! Including the Ryoka."

Some soul reapers left to follow orders while Rangiku tried to get Kana to calm down.

"They're gone now. You're safe," she repeated in a calming tone, but it didn't work.

"Ich… Ich…" Kana tried to speak but her body wouldn't let her and her body completely shut down.

"Dammit! Someone! We need help here!" Rangiku cried out to whoever could here.

"What?!" was Ichigo's reaction to what the woman just said.

Orihime ran over to Ichigo with Ganju, Uryu, and Chad to get him healed up.

"Ichigo, let me-"

"Forget me. Go to Kana. Something's wrong!"

"Don't be stupid, Ichigo," Uryu told him. "They already have people working on her."

"It looks like they're taking her away," Ganju added as he, in fact, saw one soul raper pick up the unconscious girl and then disappear.

Ichigo saw this and slammed his fist into the ground. "Dammit…"

**Sorry for the boring-ness of the chapter... It sucks, I know. And I apologize for waiting so long to update. I've been busy with school and looking for a job and such. Anyway, I'll try to post the next chapter soon! Oh and I am also sorry for any mistakes. I didn't proofread because I wanted to get this chapter out. Hehe...**


	18. Chapter 18: The Departure

"Where the hell could she be?" Ichigo muttered under his breath as he looked around the Seireitei. "First Rukia goes missing and now Kana. Where the hell is she?"

It had been a week since the whole dilemma happened. Ichigo and the others were completely healed. Then after getting chased around by Kenpachi for almost two hours, Ichigo decided to help Orihime find Rukia who ended up being at the Shiba household.

During the week, Kana had been under full surveillance and it didn't allow any visitors. Not even Ichigo. Then this morning, she was able to get out without anybody catching her. So everyone was looking for her. And with her ability to hide her spiritual pressure, it wasn't easy.

Ichigo looked around the Seireitei and couldn't think of a place where Kana would be. Until realization hit him.

"Of course! I can't believe I didn't think of that!"

**.: - :.**

Ichigo ran around in the underground sewers below the Seireitei hoping that he would find a familiar blonde. Eventually, he was able to hear soft, echoed cries. He smirked knowing exactly who it was and ran in the direction of the cries.

Soon, Ichigo was able to find Kana and she was in the same position from when he first found her down there. Only this time, she was dressed in a white robe much like what Rukia wore when she was sentenced to death.

Slowly, he approached her, not wanting to scare her. Kana had hear him and unburied her face and looked at him, making Ichigo stop moving. She looked so much healthier than she did a week ago when she passed out. Her face was back to it's normal tan color, no bags rested beneath her blue eyes, and she didn't look like a train wreck. Her eyes were a little puffy from crying and her cheeks sparkled from the tears, but she was perfectly fine.

Kana stood up gracefully and faced her friend.

"Kana, are you okay?" he asked her although he already knew that mentally, Kana was not okay at all.

She wiped her tears away and shook her head "no," just like Ichigo had expected. Then she ran up to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso and rested her head on his chest.

"I knew you would find me here," she whispered as she closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat.

Ichigo smiled slightly and put his arms around her also.

Silence overcame them and nothing was heard but the water that flowed through the canals. They didn't need to talk. Kana just needed Ichigo's company and she was happy.

"Ichigo… I don't have anyone left," Kana finally spoke. "I'm all alone and … and I don't know what to do… My parents were killed by that evil…" Kana couldn't bare to say the rest. Aizen was a man she trusted the most and after finding out all he had planned, that he had killed her parents, she couldn't bare to say his name any longer, or call him uncle. An uncle of hers would never do such a thing.

"You're not alone, Kana," Ichigo told her, tightening his grip around her. "There's me… A-And Chad, Orihime, and Uryu… And everyone else here in the Soul Society."

Kana softly chucked at his attempt to make her better.

"Just don't let me go," Kana stated.

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Good, because I wasn't going to let you." Ichigo smirked at her comment.

More silence came until Kana decided to speak again.

"They're not letting me go with you to Karakura Town."

"What?" Ichigo asked, whole pulling away slightly to look at her face.

"Captain Yamamoto said that I should stay here just in case **he** comes back and decides to use me as a hostage again," she explained sadly. The she added, "Can you convince him I can come with you? I don't want to be here. It has too many painful memories. I want to be with you. I feel more safe with you!"

"_Please, Ichigo, don't make me go!" Then Kana's painful scream soon followed._

"I'm sorry, Kana… I can't do that…"

Kana stepped away from Ichigo and looked at him with hurt, sadness, and confusion.

"Why not?"

"You will be safer here surrounded by all these captain," he told her. He didn't want to add that it was his fault she was hurt the first time.

"But you've defeated Renji, Kenpachi, Byakuya…"

"It will be best for you to stay here."

"But, Ichigo…"

"I'm sorry."

Kana looked down at the concrete floor while Ichigo looked over to the side. They were trying to avoid eye-contact.

"I think it's about time for you to go. I'm sure they made a gate to the World of the Living," Kana finally said in a whisper.

"Yeah… Aren't you going to see us off? Plus everyone is looking for you."

Kana turned around as he spoke and sighed. "I'm not ready to face everyone yet. Tell Chad, Uryu, and Orihime I said bye, okay?"

"Sure. I'll see you around then."

"Yeah… See ya."

**.: - :. **

"Hey, Ichigo!" Orihime exclaimed while waving her hand into the air to greet him.

"Is everyone ready to go now?" he asked his friends that were standing by the gate, including Yoruichi in her cat form.

"Kana's not here. Aren't we going to wait for her?" Uryu asked.

"No. She's not coming," Ichigo answered while shaking his head.

"Not coming?!" Uryu and Orihime yelled at the same time while Chad stayed silent.

"I thought this would happen," Yoruichi said with a light chuckle. "You found her, didn't you?" Ichigo nodded his head, making some soul reapers furious that he couldn't bring her there with him. "And you're agreeing to this arrangement? Kana staying here in the Soul Society, I mean."

"I don't want to, but it's for the best."

"So Kana isn't even going to say goodbye?" Orihime asked, sad that her best friend wasn't going with them.

"She isn't ready yet so she told me to tell everyone that she says bye."

"Then I guess now is a better time than never to leave," Yoruichi stated.

Everyone nodded their heads to say that they were read and headed towards the gate. Ichigo gave one last glance behind him to see if Kana would have showed up but saw no one that even looked liked his best friend. With a sigh, he was going to continue walking until…

"Ichigo!"

"What the-" As soon as Ichigo turned around, a small figure wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and they both fell to the ground, landing on his back.

"What the hell was that for?!" Ichigo yelled at the person who jumped on him began to laugh. He recognized the laugh and the blonde waves that fell from each side of her face. Then, in a much calmer tone, he said, "Kana? What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize. I acted selfish back in the tunnels. I know that you just want what is best for every one," she explained.

As they talked, they were oblivious of the face that many people were watching the scene. They also forgot that Kana was still laying on top of Ichigo.

"And I forgot to thank you for everything. I probably would be dead if you weren't here. So, thank you, Ichigo."

"Sure-" Before Ichigo could finish, Kana placed her lips on his own and kissed him passionately. Ichigo's eyes widened in shock of what was happening and his face turned a bright red. Kana was blushing also but no where near as much as Ichigo and her eyes were closed. Finally, he closed his eyes and kissed her back just as passionate.

Nothing could have ruined the moment. Not even the cheering and whistling that surrounded them.

**They finally kissed! Yay!**


	19. Chapter 19: The End

School had started up once again and Ichigo, Chad, Uryu, and Orihime had returned to their normal lives.

"Ichigo! Where's Kana?!" Keigo cried out as he ran over to his orange-haired friend.

Well, as normal as it could be.

"She's not here," Ichigo told him simply. "She moved during summer vacation."

"Moved?! Why would she do that? She didn't admit her love to me!"

"Your'e probably the reason why she moved," Mizuiru joked as he joined the conversation with a small laugh. "I wonder why she didn't bother to tell us, though."

"Yeah. No one would have known if Ichigo didn't tell us. That means Ichigo was with Kana… No way! This cannot be happening!" Keigo screamed and began to run in circles.

"What's wrong with him?" Chad asked as he walked over to them.

"I'm not sure…" Ichigo answered uneasily while cocking an eyebrow at the paranoid brunette.

"I can't believe you, Ichigo!" Keigo screamed some more, pointing a finger at Ichigo.

"What did I-"

"You hung out with Kana all summer vacation, didn't you?!"

"Well, I can't-"

"Didn't you?!"

"No."

"I don't believe you!"

"Well, believe it."

Keigo couldn't continue with his yelling because the teacher came into the room. Everyone sat in their seats and the lesson began.

During the lecture, Ichigo would look occasionally at the two empty seats that were in the row beside him.

_How come everyone remembers Kana? Didn't the Soul Society erase all their memories of her?_ Ichigo thought to himself. The momery of the kiss popped into his head and an invisible blush appeared on his face.

"Ichigo!" a voice called out to him from outside the window of the classroom.

_I know that voice…_

Everyone in the class, including himself and the teacher, walked over to the windows and found a very familiar red-head in a gigai and 70s clothing.

"Yo, Ichigo!"

"what's he doing here?" Uryu asked under his breath so only Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad could hear.

"Ichigo, who is that out there?" the teacher asked him curiously.

"He's, um, family!" Ichigo answered while running out of the classroom.

"Ichigo!" Renji continued to call out to him.

"Shut up!" Ichigo growled and tacked the red head into some bushed. "Why are you at my school?!"

"There's been strange hollow activity so I was ordered to check it out."

"So you were demoted?"

"No!"

"Whatever. That still doesn't explain why you're here at my school!"

"Well, if you would let me finish-"

"Renji!" Ichigo and Renji turned their heads to the open dirt field where Renji once stood and found a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in a school uniform. She was panting from running it looked like and a bright smile was on her face. "Don't run off like that! You know I can't run fast."

Ichigo didn't look away from her as he stood up. "Kana…"

Kana's smile brightened seeing the orange-haired teen. "Hi, Ichigo."

Ichigo began to walk over to her, still surprised to se her in front of him.

"How are you here?"

"Renji was able to convince the head-captain that I would be safer here since both you and Renji would be here…"

"Plus, she threatened that she wouldn't eat if she wasn't allowed to come back here!" Renji added without moving from his spot which made Ichigo smirk and Kana laughed.

"That, too. It wasn't the best way to go," she continued. "But hey, at least I get to stay here for a while now."

"Really?" Ichigo asked as he finally approached her.

"Uh-huh."

Not a second later, Kana dropped her school bag onto the dirt, hugged Ichigo, and didn't let go.

"I missed you," she said into his shirt.

"I just left the Soul Society a couple days ago."

"Don't ruin the moment."

Ichigo chucked softly and hold Kana close. "Sorry."

"Apology accepted," Kana said with smiling and looking up at him.

"So, are there anymore secrets I should know about?" Ichigo asked. "Any that are life threatening."

"Nope. No more secrets," she told him as their faces got closer together. "No more scares."

And their lips finally touched. Nothing could interrupt their moment together being reunited once again…

"Ichigo! No!" Ichigo and Kana pulled away and looked at the window where Keigo had tears streaming down his face. "Ichigo, how could you!?"

Well, almost nothing…

**Now this is the end of the series! Now, I don't know if I'll be making a sequel or not. I ended like I did just in case I wanted to or not. But as of now, I'm not planning on making a sequel. I don't even have a clue on what it would even be about. **

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who read this series and left reviews! I really enjoyed reading them while I wrote this! :**


	20. Check This Out!

**ATTENTION! ATTENTION!**

The sequel to **_Secrets and Scares_** is now OUT!

Yes, I said it. It's now out! And it has been for a couple of days... I think... lol

Anyway, it's called **_The Secrets Within Her Soul_** so go check it out!

It's going to be the best IchigoXoc story in the world!

It's going to be so awesome that I can't even tell you what it's really about!

Well, I could... But what fun is it to ruin surprises?

So if you're done reading **_Secrets and Scares_**, go check out the sequel!


	21. Rewrite

Yes, I know many of you are confused why I suddenly posted a chapter in this story when it's over.

Well, here's the thing... I'm rewriting it.

Yes, you heard correct. I'm rewriting this story.

The other day when I was trying to get out of my writing slump, I reread this series in hopes I can get some inspiration back to continue The Secrets Within Her Soul.

I got my inspiration back, just in the wrong area.

I've realized after rereading this story how awful I was at writing:

There's no description.

No character development.

I couldn't even keep the plot together in some areas.

Not to mention the canon characters being out of character.

So I've come to the conclusion that I need to rewrite this story in order to continue to the next.

The plot with be stronger with much better character development.

Even some parts of the story is gonna be different.

That means most chapters aren't going to be boring repeats of the original story.

Some memories of Kana's childhood are even going to appear.

Like the first time Kana meets Renji. :D

The name of the story will also be changed.

It's new name:

_**Secrets In Her Smile**_

The prologue is up now so go check it out. :D_**  
**_


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